POLAROID EMULSION LIFT

Polaroid Emulsion Lift is an experimental technique that transforms an instant photograph into a unique photographic object. By separating the delicate image-bearing emulsion from its original support, the photograph can be transferred onto a new surface such as paper, glass, wood, or other materials.

The workshop begins with taking Polaroid photographs and observing the instant image as it develops. Once ready, the photographs are carefully disassembled and immersed in water to release the thin photographic emulsion. The floating image is then manually transferred onto a selected surface, where it can be stretched, folded, distorted, layered, or combined with other images.

The process introduces an element of unpredictability into the photographic image. No two transfers behave in exactly the same way: wrinkles, tears, shifts in shape, and other material traces become part of the final work. Multiple emulsions can also be layered to create new compositions beyond the original photographic frame.

Participants experience photography not only as image-making, but as a tactile and material process. Each workshop results in a series of unique, handmade photographic objects that cannot be reproduced in exactly the same form.