frameless

Frameless

My recent work is a collaboration with photographer Clarissa B. Aponte that focuses on abstraction using film in non-traditional ways. Our series Frameless focuses on experimenting with what photography can be if we negate the camera and the use of traditional photographic film. In our process, we used color motion picture film which was being discarded. The film was exposed to light, yet it was not processed. We decide to use black and white darkroom chemicals to process the color motion picture film, instead of the proper chemicals for developing such film. When combined, their reaction resulted in abstract shapes appearing on the film. What developed on the emulsion cannot be found in nature or the world, which emphasizes the absence of objects and people, therefore highlighting the absence of the camera. Furthermore, the way the chemicals interacted with the film resulted in the absence of frames as well. We chose to scan and edit the film digitally rather than printing it analog in order to present each strip as a whole, rather than sequenced into frames. Photographers aim to control what is in the frame, but here the film is void of that, producing a frameless picture. Moreover, these pictures are a chance result of the mixture of different chemicals, so our control was minimal in their initial creation. Only when we started to examine what happened on the film and edit did our control increase and participated in the final result. Each viewer will see something different in the filmstrips that relates to their individual perspective of the world and personal experiences. All of the images are open to interpretation and can take on different meanings. But the one common denominator is they are meant to question what a photograph can be. Can these filmstrips be considered photographs or are they, due to their unconventional creation, something more?