‘Impossible Interview’ with Sarah Seene An Instant Photographer With A Difference
We’re delighted to be working closer with The Impossible Project team as we continue to branch out and expand our reach with all things related to mobile photography. Analog post-processing of mobile images is becoming more and more popular and we’re going to make sure our readers are fully briefed on this very exciting development.
The Impossible Project is in many ways leading the way, but there is also a growing community of mobile artists and photographers experimenting with other analog post processing techniques in an attempt to make their mobile images stand out even more, in galleries, magazines and the like and we have viewed some outstanding images and techniques.
A good deal of my formal photographic training (many years ago) was spent in a huge college darkroom and it is an area that I’ve always enjoyed, I think you will too. I also had a very close working relationship with Polaroid built up through my years as Technical Editor for various UK photography print magazines/titles.
Today we are publishing the first of a series of ‘Impossible’ Interviews, this time with Sarah Seene, she is not only an instant photographer (none mobile) but a director of short experimental films in which she explores themes of loneliness and the relation between reality and dreams. She is currently working in a documentary about an artist who creates sculptures with toys and dead animals. Twenty six year old Sarah was born in Belfort, in the east of France and she has been living in Poitiers, a small, beautiful city in the rural west of France, for four years.
This is an interview that was conducted by the team at Impossible and they have given us kind permission to republish it here. We think you will enjoy this very much…
Sarah Seene
©Sarah Seene
How long have you been shooting Polaroid/Impossible film?
Two years ago, a French photography shop organized a Polaroid contest and the theme was Your magic universe. This inspired me a lot. I never left my polaroid camera and I’ve created my ‘magic universe’!
What cameras do you use?
Since I began using Polaroid, a 1992 Polaroid 636 Close‐up camera, which my dear aunt gave me. When I was a child, I already used this same camera to photograph my grandmother’s animals. For a few months now, I’ve had a SX-70 Sonar camera and a Spectra camera: they’re my best friends now because the SX-70 is perfect for close-ups and I really love the Spectra rectangular size.
‘La poupee perdue (The lost doll) – ©Sarah Seene
Where do you shoot most often?
I often shoot outdoors, in natural surroundings, in France or other countries. I use old Polaroid films but I really love Impossible’s Color Shade films. I mostly use PX70 Color.
How would you describe your work?
I’m a dreamer, I’m thinking about my Polaroid projects every day when I’m walking, when I’m swimming, when I’m talking with people and even when I’m sleeping. My models, most of them female, are the ones that I love. I like inventing stories, universes, characters that inspire me. What interests me through my fabrication are feelings, inspired by people, nature and animals. My vision of instant photography is to create a new world with elements of reality.
‘Les liens de l’écume (Foam links)’ – ©Sarah Seene
Tell us a little about the four works you have chosen as your favourites?
The first picture Les liens de l’écume (Foam links) is a portrait of two of my best friends in Ile de Ré, in SW France. I love this because it reminds me a wonderful week-end with them. The second one Nuées d’hiver (Winter clouds) is one of my favorite dry lifts because I’ve changed the picture format by myself and it is exactly the picture I wanted to make. The third picture La poupée perdue (The lost doll) is one my favorite black and white picture because I had a lot of difficulties with Silver Shade films. The picture was taken in the botanical garden in Paris and my model is Agafia Polychunk, one of my photography friends. She inspires me a lot. The fourth picture La chasse aux papillons (The butterfly catching) is a self-portrait. It’s the first picture I made with my Spectra camera and yes, it’s a real butterfly stuck on the picture.
Do you have any helpful creative techniques or advice you would like to share?
I often use the dry lift technique but I have my little secrets.
‘La chasse aux papillons (The butterfly catching) – ©Sarah Seene
Do you have any upcoming exhibitions/publications?
Yes, this year is filled with exhibitions for me! I’ll exhibit in February in the En Face shop in PARIS. In March, I exhibit in Pau, in the south of France. In April, I have two exhibitions for Expolaroid in Nantes and La Rochelle and in May, I will start the 12.12 project exhibitions in Paris and Berlin.
Who are your favorite photographers?
Sarah Moon, Joël-Peter Witkin and Tim Walker.
‘Nuees d’hiver (Winter clouds) – ©Sarah Seene
What are you hoping for from Impossible during the next year?
A sepia film and films for Type 100 cameras!
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
2 Comments
David
Great article. Time for me to dust off my Polaroid collection and start shooting again. The Impossible Project is a great outfit…so glad that they’ve keep all of this alive!
Alexvisage
This is a very interesting interview and great works!