"The present is a point just passed." — David Russell
This image was a dream years in the making, ever since I first learned that ancient petroglyphs were hidden deep within Israel's desert. Reaching them requires either hours of traversing rugged 4x4 trails across the desert or navigating restricted military controlled routes that open only on rare occasions, still demanding high-clearance off-road access for the final stretch.
Aligning all the variables felt nearly impossible, but during this year's Perseid meteor shower, every piece finally fell into place.
I believe it's the most philosophical work I've ever made. Just think about it:
The light from these distant stars has traveled thousands of years across space just to reach my sensor. Some of those stars may no longer even exist. Down here on Earth, that same span of time feels completely different. We look at ancient engravings carved back then and treat them as distant history, detached from our reality.
But the truth is: we never actually experience the present. By the time our eyes register photons and our brain processes the signal, the moment has already slipped away. Our entire lives, we are chasing what has already occurred, forever existing in the memory of a fraction of a second ago.
Future and present are mere illusions. Only the past truly exists.
Alexander Seleznyov
August 07, 2026 - Negev Desert, Israel
