Vinfrared: Central Vietnam at 590nm Artwork by Cham Phan

Visual Arts Center | Gallery 301

Cham Phan intimately embraces his visual impairment, allowing the gradual degradation of color, clarity and definition to shape his artistic expression. Each image offers an invitation to see through his eyes, where perception is in constant flux – some days blurred and soft, other days awash in intense light or drained of color. As a photographer losing his sight, Cham’s world shifts unpredictably with vision that sometimes flickers between clarity and obscurity, brightness and dimness.

Using a full-spectrum camera and a special effect lens, Cham journeyed to Central Vietnam, reconnecting with his roots while navigating the changing landscape of his vision. Shot at 590nm infrared, these images capture not only the external world but also the internal, translating his sensory experience into something uniquely poetic and haunting.

This collection was created with a Full Spectrum Panasonic S5 paired with a Lensbaby Velvet 28mm, transforming both his lens and his life into a meditation on change, loss and reconnection.

South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.