Community Spotlight: The 12:12 Project
Penny Felts, “To Breathe”
We here at Analog Forever have been longtime fans of the 12:12 Project, which was started by Penny Felts in 2013 as a collective artistic endeavor in which twelve female photographers would respond to a monthly theme using only instant film. (Learn more about the 12:12 Project in Penny’s own words here) The next year she expanded the concept with the 12:12 Men Project, which has recently been folded into the original group to create one large collective of 24 international members. Since Penny’s passing in 2021, the group has been overseen by long-time member Cromwell Schubarth, who has put together a new exhibition of 12:12 work in San Jose, California.
Three walls of Kaleid Gallery are hung with dozens of images by Penny, Cromwell, and 40 other artists from 14 countries who have participated in the 12:12 Project over the last nine years. Twice postponed by the pandemic, this show not only highlights the astoundingly creative work these artists have made over the years, but it also serves as a loving tribute to the founder whose enthusiasm for instant film brought them all together.
Penny said, “I am a lover of blur, soft colors, dreams, and poetry on film,” which is evident in the selection of her photographs on display. Penny’s work is decidedly feminine with an aura of nostalgic romance, and she was able to exploit the dreamy surreality intrinsic to instant film to great effect. In contrast, the images included by Fred Johnsson and Claudio Gomboli show a sharp intensity (both literally and figuratively when you’re talking about an image of a man with spikes coming out of his head) that demonstrates how versatile this medium can be in expressing one’s aesthetic voice.
Lilian Wildeboer, “Tranquility”
Fred Johnson, “Resilience”
Indeed, the versatility of instant photography is on full display as we see multiple artistic points of view and interpretations of the medium itself. While some images are straightforward photographs, others play with multiple exposures, such as Ben Fraternale’s trippy blue-red multiple portraits with 3-D glasses. Some artists also intercede upon the polaroid print and introduced techniques of emulsion transfer, multimedia, and collage. Czech photographer Noah Zyle, in response to the theme “Decomposed”, went so far as to microwave his prints to impart an element of decay to his triptych “Apples for the Accursed Poet.”
Noah Zyla, “Apple for the Accursed Poet”
An interesting aspect of experiencing an exhibition like this in the flesh is being able to see the themed images displayed together, rather than the individual image viewing which is inherent to the social media feed. When viewed like this in the same space, a dialog between the images develops: the photographs not only respond to the theme, they respond to each other in a way that could not have been premeditated by these artists working separately, thousands of miles apart. Each display becomes its own little narrative play.
Though the instant and analog community mourns the loss of Penny Felts and her inspiring creative spirit, the 12:12 Project is keeping her legacy and her love of instant photography alive. Long-time 12:12 contributor, and Analog Forever writer, Lisa Toboz has penned a loving tribute to Penny and her work that will be published in our upcoming print issue, now available for pre-order.
GALLERY
ABOUT THE 12:12 PROJECT
“The 12:12 Project: 12 Months in a Year. 12 Ways of Seeing.” is on dispay at Kaleid Gallery in San Jose, Ca through September 30, 2022.
An exhibition catalog is available for purchase at Magcloud.
Follow 12:12 Project on Instagram and Facebook
Also check out the 12:12 Project Open Group and submit your own instant photos with the hashtag #1212projectopen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Niniane Kelley is a fine art photographer living and working in San Francisco and Lake County, California. A native of the Bay Area, she has a BFA in Photography from San Jose State University graduate.
Drawn to photography for both the immediacy of the image making process and the intrinsic alchemy of the darkroom ritual, she crafts the majority of her imagery using traditional 19th century processes which give each piece its own unique character.
She has previously worked in fine art photography galleries and was a photographer and manager at the San Francisco tintype studio Photobooth. She teaches photography workshops in the Bay Area and surrounding environs.
Connect with Niniane Kelley on her Website, Twitter, and Instagram!
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