Can this film be saved?
What’s a guy to think? Mark Rockwood, a Portland-based photographer (who is represented by VoxPhotographs) has been using Polaroid film since the late ’70′s like thousands of other photographers. He started using it professionally for his commercial gigs to provide “sketches” of shots involving large-format cameras, but then he got hooked on it as a vehicle for fine art photography.
I think this film would be better named “Chameleon” or… “Eve” – as in the “Three Faces of Eve”. It’s like a difficult friend who, each time you visit presents you with yet another mood to contend with. It keeps you guessing. Polaroid film gel reacts in singular ways to light and that’s what has Rockwood addicted – what the heck is he going to see when that miniature darkroom spits out a picture?
Nuclear Bath © Mark Rockwood
The word “addiction” is a strong one, and we all know what that means: a fix is needed regularly. Unfortunately Polaroid stopped making the SX-70 film in 2008. There’s been a big rush on the part of Polaroid film users to buy freezers, but hey, that horde of frozen film stock is only going to last so long.
Many articles have been written about the past life of the Polaroid – here is one of my favorites – written by Michael Kimmerman and published in the NY Times on 12/27/08. In “The Polaroid: Imperfect, Yet Magical” Kimmerman talks about how much everyone hates Polaroid film. Then he talks about how much everyone loves Polaroid film. See what I mean? Like me, he remembers his father taking mostly horrible family, etc. pics with the SX-70 and how we all held our breath waiting to see what the camera spit out less than a minute later. Yech. But… secretly we all loved that camera and it’s quirky way of portraying our lives.
Rockwood travels and shoots. He’s definitely in tune to America and what it is doing and not doing, what it is desiring and letting go.
Blue, White and Red © Mark Rockwood
But… Rockwood’s great love is about to abandon him and he feels the same sense of panic thousands of other photographers are feeling.
BUT WAIT. Can this marriage be saved? Along comes a bunch of guys and they buy up the plant and equipment where Polaroid made its film in Enschede, Netherlands. What? Are they going to resurrect this film and the hopes of thousands of artists out there? The Impossible Project uses as inspiration the Edwin Land quote “Don’t undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible.” Their site makes for interesting reading, but in the end it’s as confusing as the witchy film itself: are they doing this or… not? One of the site’s pages is headed “7 Challenges” but they aren’t able to share those challenges quite yet. And the film itself? Some of the original components used in the manufacturing process of the 16 layers in this film are no longer available, but this group hopes to introduce new components and create a film with a uniquely updated personality.The FOUR Faces of Eve? And for some reason unclear to me, there is an urgency that all this has to be accomplished by the end of 2009.
I hope they figure out their “challenges” soon. Mark Rockwood is in a long line of fine art and commercial photographers headed for a meltdown. The freezers are emptying bit by bit and time is running out for all of us. Because not only will the photographers be losing, all of us interested in powerful visual imagery will be losing something right alongside them.
Vegas Strip © Mark Rockwood
