KANTA Portraits: Exhibition: preparation work

2017-06-05

Exhibition: preparation work

Booklet- covers

Booklet- inside pages

Booklet- foldout index sheet

5 June; Exhibition booklet (foldout index sheet) Introduction to project & collaboration. Index of the 20 portraits, writeup of the sitters, and short description of the cameras on exhibit. limited print run, RM10. #KANTAboxkamra #kantaborneo #kantaportraits #instudio25

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1 June; Making of a Silverprint Sheena Baharudin her light, she radiates, her likeness, emerges from the paper, as if magic. at 525% enlargement Silver Resin Coated paper. (leaking tray, my chemical level is low too so I had to handle the print)

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1 June; Making of a Silverprint Poodien. made a couple of his prints some experiments on slight oxidation and solarising. 525% enlargement on Silver RC paper. (leaky tray and my chemical level is low too so i had to handle the print)

31 May; the apparatus (projector), in the early days of photography, cameras were used as projectors to make enlargements. it's like a reverse camera, rather than capturing, it projects light. Where the camera would be put up against a window, with a mirror reflecting the ambient sky light in-through the camera.

Here is the project's makeshift photo enlarger, combination of plate holder and projector lens about 700+mm for a 200% enlargement #kantaportraits #kantaboxkamra #instudio25build

31 May; Upcoming exhibition was initially proposed late last year by Kenny to include KANTA portraits. The project decided to only select portraits taken this year 2017 to be part of this collaboration. Most were taken in Kuala Lumpur, if not Greater Kuala Lumpur, of random people who happen to have their portrait taken at the setup booth. It will be an interesting juxtapose to Born In Malaysia 's approach in terms of portraiture photography. I hope you'll enjoy the prints and stories.

22 of more that 150 portraits were shortlisted and 20 hand-prints were made. A special apparatus (projector) was built to enable prints at 20 x 24" from #papernegatives that were smaller in size. 200% to 525% enlargement. It was no easy feat, with many sleepless nights. Results are some less satisfactory and some more pleasant. The short interviews for the captions were the most revealing and intimate. Thank you everyone for your kind support & participation #kantaportraits #kantaboxkamra #kantaborneo #5elecamm #instudio25build

Jeffrey JC Lim

Jeffrey Lim’s exploration into photography started with the family’s point & shoot film-camera and the stories behind their black & white photographs. It was later in art school that he discovered the magic of the darkroom and explored deeper into the craft of image-making & printing.

He started experimenting with self-made box cameras utilising pinhole and lenses, and also explored using century-old box cameras, crossing between different mediums and methods to producing an image. At the same time, he started researching his family’s roots through interviews and photographs.

After watching the Afghan Box Camera Project video in 2011, he was inspired to design and build variants of the Kamra. Starting the project Kanta Box Kamra, he built the first four prototypes. He then developed new techniques in reproduction & printing after visiting the exhibition Retrato Popular, Sesc Belenzinho, and studying the Lambe-Lambe cameras of Brasil, he built several other prototypes.

In 2017, he started Kanta Portraits to explore the concepts of identity and the national-construct. Travelling to different parts of the region and many different indigenous communities, he recorded their narratives and in return, gave instant portraits. He is currently archiving the portraits and reflecting on the journey in the hopes of producing an exhibition and publication.

Pages

2017-06-05

Exhibition: preparation work