Dips, Cuts, & Bruises
I was on vacation and had brought a Fuji Instax mini camera on the trip with me. I photographed a yellow umbrella and decided to cut into the image to see how the wet, developing chemistry of the instant film would turn out. I cut a question mark into the images as literal record of inquiry. Thus began my use of the scissors as a disruptive, yet generative drawing tool.
I treat instant film pictures like containers to be opened or marred upon development. With these new openings (cuts, holes) in the images, they can be joined to others. This project has developed alongside my previous projects working with instant film - Flowers for A and Freshly Shredded Flowers. With Dips, Cuts and Bruises I am expanding the subject matter beyond flora.
I cut and burn the photos just as they come out of the camera, more often even before the image develops. I’ve been more interested in using my hands to physically manipulate the photographs I make and enjoy how the cuts disrupt the image and leave traces of my hand. The scissors is my drawing implement that I use to disrupt the photo image. As cuts are made, the interaction of the wet chemistry inside with the air creates unexpected colors. The sun, which is necessary for making most photographic images, becomes a tool of intended destruction while also creating something new in the process. The arrangements - where I physically fuse with clear archival tape or thread the images together - create dialogues between the images, among moments. Here I am also playing with the idea that the photographic objects can be fused, but what was captured internally can never really be joined in time.
