Watching: Surface of the Film

Overview

Surface of the Film carries the surface tension of film into the analog process of film development. The film appears as if immersed in a solution of chalk, soda, salt, and soap—the same mixture Soviet DIYers once used to whitewash hospitals, schools, and orphanages. Here, too, the layer both protects and attacks. It covers up, lets traces emerge, and carries scratches, stains, and blurs into the emulsion. Through its own material, the film searches for an equivalent to human vulnerability where gendered, trans, and female bodies seek protection while remaining exposed to the violence of the gaze.