Saudade

Mark Kimber Saudade “A Portuguese word for a sense of something lost and longed for Proust’s quote, "Perhaps the only real paradise is a lost paradise," serves as a fitting reflection on this work that employs the 150-year-old Tintype photographic process, an archaic and painstaking form of photography, involving creating images on a coated metal plate. The process produces unique, one-off images to confront the pervasive issue of plastic waste. The work contrasts the unhurried, meticulous singularity of the Tintype process with the swiftness and ephemerality of digital imagery, fostering a juxtaposition between the photographic “moment” and a less hurried act of contemplation. The Tintype asks viewers to contemplate the intrinsic worth of every plastic item, urging a shift in perspective from disposability to sustainability. Through the meditative lens of the Tintype process, this exhibition creates a bridge between the past and present, inviting us to re-evaluate our relationship with plastics and the environment. Using Tintype as my medium I have sought to painstakingly craft one-of-a-kind images that repurpose discarded plastic objects into sculptural forms. This deliberate