SARAH SINCLAIR

These Fossils represent the tools of a vanishing subculture, symbolic of the rapid evolution of the practice of photography. Of both historical and aesthetic interest, they are both archive and art. These photographs of 35mm film canisters exemplify the wide variety of variables that can exist within a restricted form as well as the sheer volume of product made possible by economies of scale.

This idea of archive as art is not new. Photographers like Bernd and Hilla Becher and August Sander used the camera to collect elements of their world in exploration of their time and culture. This collection was born out of my own desire to preserve a culture that is rapidly changing—film-based photography. With the rise of digital photography and the relegation of film to a new niche of photographers, the era of film’s ubiquity has come and gone. My collection showcases the artifacts of that era.
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