That ALOK should mean light in Sanskrit is a marvellous coincidence

That ALOK should mean light in Sanskrit is a marvellous coincidence. That ALOK media should see the light of day is an inspiring achievement. A vision that challenges borders and experiments with the type of electromagnetic radiation that can- and must- be perceived by the human eye. Without light there is nothing to be seen, and just as we’re getting used to all things being short-lived, along comes ALOK going back to a meticulous job well done. Care and effort hand in hand. A daring attitude of reflection, the choice of a long and meditated exposure. ALOK Media cares about detail so that the big picture can shine through. Not something that can be done scraping seconds off the clock.

An enterprising attitude is the remedy for conformity. ALOK Media is the innovative refinement that we need. Because in order to obtain the best results it is crucial to prioritise dedication and creativity. ALOK is the search for memory and space at a time when we are drowning in a sea of information. Gone are the ready-made, pre-cooked and disposable days of anything goes. We will plough the old orchards that have always been there. Their fruits require space on a table where there is no room for fast-food wrappings. Let us accept no less. Let’s seek the added value that lies in love of the specific, for this is what defines us.

In his Short History of Photography, Walter Benjamin held that “the difference between magic and technique is a historical parameter”. And, at this very moment, in the unstoppable Twenty-First Century, magic is being disposed of, to give way to technique and the immediate. ALOK Media rebels, aiming to bridge the gap, to blend magic and technique together making one the result of the other. Because we can, because we must. Without enterprise there is nothing new, everything remains the same. No risks are taken. And it is when we run risks that magic appears. The magic we need to light up 'visual worlds which dwell in the smallest things'. Let us occupy centre screen.


Julio Teruel

Translation by Pedro Fermín Maguire

[Photo: James Jowers, Tompkins Sq. Park, 1967. George Eastman House Collection. Courtesy George Eastman Museum.]