this project is a development of my use of redundant film stock (microfiche, 35mm). in these previous pieces i’ve used the film in static light boxes, exploring layering and colour, and playing on varying scales. more here.
my most recent commercial work takes a mixture of 35mm and 16mm film, again for static display on light boxes. through editing, manipulation and assembly i abstract elements of the source material, creating original works very much inspired by my textiles background. during this process i’m exploring and exploiting qualities of the film as a strip of high resolution still images – as texture and shade; ribbon or thread – rather than as moving image film.
i have a lifelong interest in analogue photography – 35mm, medium format, instant films, darkroom developing and printing. i have a strong affinity for film as a medium in itself, rather than simply a means of reproduction, an intermediary step on the way to a final print or projection. much of my work incorporates lighting in some way and the two pair up beautifully.
as a book artist i work most often with found text, and i find the intertitles and subtitles of silent films a fascinating resource.
having acquired a hand-cranked editor for viewing super- and standard-8mm films i was immediately intrigued by the simple yet elegant mechanism, with echoes of my previous work with sunshine, lenses and gears. more here and here.
slow turning of the handle approximates turning the pages of a book, and i’m intrigued that the viewer is in charge of their experience of the film – winding fast or slow, forward or reverse, at will. my work often explores defunct technologies and the fact that even high-quality editors sell for only a few pounds second hand reflects the decline in analogue film-making.
my intention is to produce a film-book, not designed for projection but for viewing on an editor. using excerpted and manipulated film stock, printed text and direct animation, it will amount to more than a simple collage. the emphasis is very much on the film-book as a unique, hand-constructed piece, not for reproduction. the active part taken by the viewer provides a perspective more akin to that of the film-maker than the passive audience; an intimacy with the fabric of the film-book itself
the project is still in the experimental phase, including text:
and direct animation:
maker soph 