I’ve just arrived on the island. Alex and I had a long night of conversation about art and the role it plays in our society. We were brainstorming possible projects to collaborate on while we’re in the same geographical location again. And here we are, sitting in a coffee shop, sipping on delicious, strong Greek coffee when this man walks in. I spotted him out of the corner of my eye and saw he was a street vendor. With the weather and recent rain, there are no tourists, so he walks into the restaurant with all kinds of tchotchkes to sell.

My mind was on one thing. I whispered to Alex, “Hey, maybe he’s got what we need?” At first, Alex didn’t catch on. Just last night, when we were talking about our ideas, I threw out the concept of light paintings—something I played around with over a decade ago but never developed into a full body of work. My recent drawing studies in virtual reality had guided me toward this immediate, present-moment way of creating art. It’s all about being fully present, responding to “now.” So that evening, soaked in Slavic vodka, I said, “We need a flashlight.”

Of course, Alex, being Alex, got worried. “Where are we going to find it here on the island at this time?” he asked. I told him not to worry. “Don’t think about how we’re going to get it. If this work is meant for us, the flashlight will find us.”

And so, in that lovely coffee shop—which is more like a restaurant—we got our answer. The vendor guy presented his flashlights. And it wasn’t just a small pocket light. Oh no, dear. He pulled out a small lighthouse with three light settings, including the rainbow option we had discussed in detail.

I was flabbergasted, like a little child getting their favorite candy in the most unexpected place. The salesman couldn’t have imagined what it was going to be used for. And an hour later, there we were at our first location, light-bombing the canvas that public space becomes.

“I Weave, You Are” came alive in that moment—a performance-based photography project that thrives on the energy of the present. The island became our laboratory, and the 12-euro flashlight, my brush. Every movement I made was captured, turning my immediate responses to the “now” into visual form. Public spaces, in their openness and unpredictability, became the perfect canvas—a place where art and life blend seamlessly, where the unseen becomes visible.

Rooted in the belief that “we are all energy,” this project weaves feedback—emotional, ancestral, and cultural—into light. In a 60-second performance, I embody the flow of the moment, allowing my movements and intentions to merge with the surrounding environment. As the artist and performer, I respond to the present, creating and receiving simultaneously.

Silence, too, is my collaborator. In its stillness, it amplifies the threads of connection, reflection, and shared experience woven between us. Every image becomes a portal to this exchange, documenting the interplay of energy and experience, turning the intangible into something profoundly felt yet fleeting—a moment, an impression, a trace left behind.