Emergence From Lockdown

My final chapter in my triptych journal is a reflection on our emergence from Lockdown. It is a confusing and unsettling time. Our behaviour and day to day life will have to alter accordingly. A new order will arise out of the chaos.

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During Lockdown, I’ve really enjoyed packing away the digital cameras and using the old Polaroid Land Camera. The slowness and thoughtfulness that is required before pressing the clunky shutter has been a true reflection of our lives during the pandemic. I wont be putting the Polaroid away just yet, my fridge contains quite a few packs of expired colour film and I have a few bottles of bleach in preparation to reclaim the negs, a completely different process to black and white. In the meantime, I’m going to get printing and bind my journal. The paints will also be staying out.

Conversations in Lockdown

Continuing my Lockdown series using the 250 Land Camera and instant peel apart film.

The next triptych series is Conversations in Lockdown.

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Newly Acquired Lockdown Skills.

As Lockdown continues so too has my passion for the Polaroid. I have been getting to grips with the 250 Land Camera as well as my SX70 and One Step to produce, I suppose, a form of journal created during this pandemic. The work covers a series of triptychs as well as some good old experimentation and play. I really don’t know where it is heading, but it’s certainly keeping me occupied.

Developing the idea of A New Commodity (see last post), I created four triptychs. Whilst the actual photographs are rather interesting 4x6 images, it’s the negatives that I love. Grainier, rougher and greyer - a perfect reflection of our present times. The scanner adds an extra dimension and unpredictability as it emphasis the light streaks caused either from the removal of the film from the camera or from peeling the film apart - both requiring a certain knack that I haven’t, it appears, quite mastered..

These are my newly acquired Lockdown Skills-set. I have become proficient in Commerce and Economics, Hairdressing (both scissors and clipper skills), Growing veg - in an effort to be self-sufficient (can one live on rocket alone?) and finally Dentistry - a broken tooth from day one of Lockdown did not bode well …

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Lockdown 2020: A New Commodity

Three images were taken on the 250 Polaroid Land Camera, this time with a self timer. Post-it notes served as perfect markers on the wall which were hastily removed in the available 10 seconds. While the actual photos are not too bad, a definite improvement on the the first 3. Reclaiming the negatives proved pretty worthwhile. The light steaks are accentuated by the scanner and add a surreal and ethereal look to the composition. I call this triptych A New Commodity.

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Only two shots left in the pack…