Kevin's Story
I grew up in a household where photography was commonplace. My Father, a machinist by trade, enjoyed his Leica and Bolex 16mm movie camera. It wasn’t professional photography but it was his way of documenting life as it passes us by, in moments big, small, and significant. This grassroots photographic environment of sorts prodded my curiosity and interest.
If the art of photography came organically to me, the 70's east side of Detroit left me at a loss with its industry and shades of grey. I yearned for a place where beauty abounds, ready to be seized, encapsulated and put on film. I decided to head West and to become immersed in the light and allure of California, the Golden State and become an eager student at Brooks Institute of Photography and Film in Santa Barbara. With a remarkable curriculum teaching the students to master the craft of photography and see in a different light, it nevertheless produced graduates that were technicians rather than artists. I wanted to expand my vision. After 10 years of doing commercial photography in Los Angeles, the occasion arose to travel for work. I grabbed the opportunity and my SX-70 Alpha 1 Polaroid cameras. The world became my oyster, from Munich, to Amsterdam, to London, to Las Vegas, all were abound of stunning visual inspiration.
Polaroid SX-70 Time Zero film had a unique chemistry that allowed for manipulation during the short processing phase. As the film was developing I used small tools to move and texture the image between the base and the clear acetate layers. The opportunity to create only lasted for a couple minutes so inspiration was fast and furious.
And now a new fascination with Detroit has rotated me 360 degrees back to my roots for some new work on what's left of the quintessential post-industrial American city.
The World Around Us collection was born!
Kevin Schill