INSIDE / OUTSIDE - An exhibition of Polaroid emulsion lifts

Most of the photographs in this series were taken between spring 2020 and spring 2021. That period of enforced confinement made many of us slow down and look more closely at our immediate surroundings – while also taking greater notice than ever of the outdoor world. Purposely pursuing images both inside and out led to some pleasing echoes and juxtapositions, which I have tried to explore in this exhibition. I took the photos on an iPhone and printed them on Polaroid film, which I then used to create emulsion lifts. In this process, the thin photographic skin created in a Polaroid photo is separated from its acrylic backing and transferred onto another medium – for these images I used watercolour paper. Though the original photographs are digital, applying the emulsion lift process makes every print unique. The quirks that come from lifting and transferring by hand the delicate emulsion add texture and character. Sometimes, it is fun to accentuate those “imperfections” for effect. 1-30 November 2021, The Back Room @ Stir Café, Cambridge