The magic of Polaroid photography is the inspiration behind the latest contemporary art exhibition in the Threshold artspace in Redrooms at Perth Theatre.
Commenting on Instant Light, her first solo exhibition in a public space Perth-based artist Sheila Borthwick said:
"The appeal of Polaroid is in its ‘instant results'. The magic of seeing the image develop in my hand never ceases to inspire me and the films have a unique feeling and colouring."
Instant Light. The Magic of Polaroid is the culmination of Sheila Borthwick's two year long Polaroid project, specially commissioned by Horsecross Arts. Captured by the artist on her journeys from the fishing villages of East Scotland via Dungeness in Kent to the radiant Venetian Lagoon the selected works show Borthwick's fascination with text and texture; colour and light; with the enigma of abandoned spaces and obsolete objects.
The show is also a celebration of the much-loved medium, coming hot on the heels of the announcement in October of this year that Polaroid cameras and films are set to make a comeback in 2010.
Polaroid cameras and instant films were both developed by Edwin Land in the late 1940s, reportedly from his daughter's asking ‘Why can't I see them now?' It is this rare magic which allows us to be both makers of and witnesses to the transformation of a single moment into a single image, that kept artists like Sheila Borthwick going even when the company ceased production and the medium of their choice edged closer into the site of its own obsolescence, and invariably, glorification.
To mark the return of Polaroid, Borthwick selected one of the news reports about The Impossible Project which inspired the relaunch of the instant camera, to feature in her show.
Iliyana Nedkova, creative director for contemporary art at Horsecross Arts who curated the exhibition said:
"There is something truly nostalgic about Polaroid prints and Sheila Borthwick has fully exploited the distinctive characteristics of the style in this exhibition. The grain of each Polaroid, sometimes an auburn glow, or classic monochrome, gives a wistful and almost painterly effect. The exhibition is also a tribute to the Russian Constructivists who pioneered the abstract use of light in art and architecture in the 1920s, and more recently to American photographer Walker Evans - one of the first artists to embrace Polaroids as an artistic platform in the 1970s."
All sixty four exhibited works are available to purchase only through Horsecross Arts Collect + Support initiative which encourages art lovers to collect contemporary art whilst supporting an exhibition programme that features Perthshire-based artists.
The free exhibition runs from Saturday 14 November until 20 March. For sales enquiries please contact the artist direct at 0044 (0) 1738 442410 or 0044 (0) 7769 953 282 or alan@aborthwick.fsnet.co.uk. Alternatively contact Illiyana Nedkova at inedkova@horsecross.co.uk.