Charles Purvis - April 2020
My recent work has involved working with expired films. Each of these films, physically altered by the passing of time, has a unique way of rendering colour and contrast. Understanding the tendencies of the film allows me to leverage them to a sense of the aporetic. I do this by the choice of objects I photograph, the sets I build, composition, and the lighting used. Beyond experimenting with the film, I'm also, in a sense, partnering with it.
To create a dynamic and balanced image, there must be a synergy between object, medium and modality. The outcome is not preordained and chance plays a part in the creative act. At the crossroads where chaos and intention interact there is a space rich with opportunity for the new. Partnering with the unpredictable reveals visual possibilities that I have not foreseen.
These images are not computer generated. They exist as objects unto themselves, as 4x5 film.
