Shake It: History of Polaroid

by Hannah Vickers

The Pump House Gallery plays host to the new exhibition, Shake It: History of Polaroid.

It is located inside Battersea Park in South London and quite hard to find, but once you are there you won’t want to leave.

The exhibition space is spread across four floors, taking you further up the tower of the building, through the windows you can see the pond and peaceful surroundings outside.

As Polaroid film runs out, the feeling towards it becomes evermore nostalgic.

The exhibition celebrates some of the best uses of the Polaroid through its rich history.

From pictures taken by Pop artist, Andy Warhol, - such as Shoes (1980) and Perfume Bottles  (1981) - to police evidence photos, and from typical family snap shots to racy images.

There are some outstanding images on display, such as the 1982 David Hockney composite Polaroid.

This picture of a man reading a book is made up of small Polaroids photos, resonating with Picasso's cubist paintings.

Another one is from a selection of Lucas Samaras' images called Transformation, consisting of various pictures of naked men. It features a silhouette of a man’s face on another man’s crotch, positioned so the penis comes out of the forehead.

Shake it

Samaras has been described as a photography pioneer.

One of the unique features of the Polaroid is that the photographer can distort the image by manipulating the dye emulsions after the picture has been taken. Samaras took advantage of this in different ways, often producing strange and terrifying images.

In contrast, on the next wall, is a series of Storm modelling agency casting pictures, showing two girls and two boys in various poses. 

There is also a video in the middle of the room - which I hadn’t expected, by Charles and Ray Eames, that shows how a Polaroid camera works, giving a very detailed description of how the light moves and different parts turn inside the camera.

Racy

As you move further up the building the photos become more provocative. There was a collection by Nobuyoshi Araki called Pola Eros which shows a group of Asian girls tied up with rope in a bondage style.

Their expressions are sad and vacant, making the image evocotive as well as provocative. The photos then go from racy to disturbing with a series of images signed by Juergen Teller (2003).

The first one is called Father and Son and it displays a naked man standing in front of a grave holding a fag and beer. The other is called Malgersia on Freud’s Couch and it shows a naked woman in different poses.

However apart from the two aforementioned pieces (Hockney and Samaras), the pictures did not stand out or say anything to me.

And also remember, despite what the title of the exhibition might suggest, do not shake your Polaroids when they are drying as it will blur the image. Andre 3000 must be responsible for blurry Polaroids all over the world.

 

Shake It: History of Polaroid

Until December 13
Pump House Gallery
Battersea Park
SW11 4NJ
Free.
pumphousegallery.org.uk