A Letter From Impossible’s CEO
Dear Impossible Pioneers and Customers,
In just a month from now, Impossible will move from the office and shop space it has occupied for the past four years on Broadway and Canal, in Manhattan, to a new space in Brooklyn. Sadly, we will also say goodbye to around half of Impossible’s current US employees, some of whom have been with the company since its foundation.
A smaller team will continue to manage Impossible’s North American customer service, warehousing and fulfillment, as well as camera refurbishment and repair.
In recent months, we have sharpened our focus on film research and development, as well as the design and development of a new camera to be launched in 2015. To afford to do so, we have had to re-assess our global presence. In April, this year, we announced the closure of our global Project Spaces, with the exception of Paris. We are also closing our offices in Japan and China.
Impossible has a lot of work to do on its core product – analog instant film. And while more people than ever are using Polaroid-format instant photography, driven by the wider availability of refurbished cameras and big strides in the quality of Impossible’s Color and B&W films, we still have some way to go to surpass the beauty, stability and real instantaneity of Polaroid’s original films.
Late last year, we hired Stephen Herchen, the former Chief Technology Officer for Polaroid under Edwin Land, and a co-founder of the US-based Zink Imaging, as Chief Operating Officer. He now oversees film development and production at Impossible’s plants in Monheim, Germany, and Enschede, in The Netherlands.
Our largest investment of both time and money has been – and must continue to be – in the development of our faster-processing, next generation films, as well as in the design of new cameras that will sustain the relevance of these films for a new generation of photographers.
Impossible is becoming much leaner, but more efficient. We are returning to the basics of a smaller, more communal and manageable scale of a start-up – which, when all is said and done, Impossible still very much is.
When Florian ‘Doc’ Kaps and Andre Bosman bought the very last factory in the world manufacturing Polaroid instant film, five years ago, they assumed something of a sacred trust: to create films – and cameras – that would make the late, great Edwin Land proud. A new (and younger) generation of Impossible employees are even more intent on doing just that!
If they’re successful, this analog instant medium for which we all share a passion is not only going to survive but thrive for future generations.
Kind regards,
Creed O’Hanlon CEO, Impossible Berlin, Germany
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)
One Comment
Tracy Mitchell Griggs
These growing pains beg a question:
Why does the development of new technology mean the death if older processing methods? I blame not the lack of technical capabilities, but the failure of imagination in marketing, strengthening and expanding a customer base, supporting artists and embedding the product offerings in schools – I am pointing this criticism at Polaroid but the lessons might well be applied to your efforts, which I applaud – good luck.