March 2008
Now that Polaroid has left us behind, it's time to assess its significance and allure. The instant appearance, that is what Polaroid essentially did, was one of the most unphotographic concepts. Instant photography, that is what Polaroid claimed to do, was, on the contrary, and remains an utterly photographic desire. Everyone, for instance, would like to take a photo simply by blinking their eyes. However, there is no artistic reason to see the photo at the moment we are still in front of the subject being photographed. This removes the magic of surprise and the pleasure of anticipation that accompany the act of photography, while also killing the dialogue between reality and dream, experience and memory, in essence, between photography and life. Instant appearance was a result of the post-war era's rhythms and impatience as a lifestyle. Of course, this observation has nothing to do with the perfectly reasonable wish and justified need of professional fashion and advertising photographers to see the result of their work while they still have the chance to correct it. In the art of photography, there is no correction, but always a new photo equally fascinatingly uncertain as the previous one. Another innovation of Polaroid was a nod to those photographers who never looked favorably on the unlimited reproduction offered by traditional negatives. The photographic art space generously embraced Polaroid films for about two decades in an overwhelming percentage. Even more so because they could make the already unique Polaroid irreplaceable by intervening on its body, that is, on the paper as it appeared. Certainly, this last act of intervention could be applied to the body of any photograph in an effort to turn the photo into a unique object. Indeed, a magazine had categorized these types of interventions into four categories, accompanied by visual examples. With physical deformation (crumpling, tearing), with a sharp object (scissors, nail), with coloring substances (watercolors, powders), or with a heat source (steam, fire). Digital photography, among many other benefits, dispelled various myths about supposed photographic revolutions, making all those once seen as innovations completely feasible, accessible, easy, and inexpensive. Now, however, when everything is possible, every "trickster" must consciously and after mature thought decide at which "bench" to sit. That is, whether and to what extent to alter the image, what kind of intervention to make, and within what limits, and whether to see the result of their work immediately after the shot or not. In short, the "smart moves" necessarily came to an end, as it became recognized that everything is now possible. Technology surpassed its own allure. Consequently, the questions moved away from the field of inventive originality and returned to where they should be fought, namely in the realm of personal creation and artistic choices.
Plato Rivellis