posted on March 2nd, 2008
Past.
This started as part of my university studies some years ago. Conceived as a participative/public art project, it involved manufacturing flat-folding pinhole cameras which could easily be posted in much the same way as a letter. As stated on the camera sleeve, it was up to the recipient to choose a subject, and in their own time - take a photograph. I tested and refined the design for some time before sending them out, so was able to provide fairly good exposure guidelines on the reverse of each camera. The camera is loaded with one piece of black and white film - allowing just one exposure. The participant then posted the camera back to me for development, the resultant image appearing later in a on-line gallery, and perhaps eventually an exhibition and accompanying book. A key feature of the project was the invitation to participants to add one or two addresses; friends or colleagues who might enjoy taking part. In this way, my intention was that the project would grow exponentially, quickly taking on a life of it’s own. In reality the manufacturing process (by-hand) was a huge amount of work for one person; I managed to make about fifty, and the whole process proved too time consuming for me alone.
Present.
In recent years, re-starting the project has occurred to me time and time again. The continued proliferation of digital photography, where every image is instantly reviewable only seems to strengthen an idea which is so susceptible to chance and error, light and chemicals.
Future.
What is clear to me now is that more advanced manufacturing techniques, additional help, and perhaps inevitably, funding would be needed to make the project viable and potentially successful. If you’d like to help support and re-start this project, please do contact me by leaving a comment to this entry.
posted in "pinhole-camera"