“The automated analogue photobooth was first invented in the late 19th century and was quickly adopted by artists fascinated by the motif of the automatic portrait, including Andy Warhol, Lorna Simpson, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalì, Walker Evans, Gerhard Richter and Richard Avedon. Stewart and Johnston’s installation Kodak Girls adopts the practices of the analogue photobooth but rather than involving artists as subjects, they become the machine itself.
During Pique’s summer edition, participants will have their portrait taken. The photograph will be developed in a temporary darkroom. Stewart and Johnston will alternate roles between capture and development, creating a real-time photobooth experience. Subject participants will receive a silver gelatin portrait of themselves and original piece of art. Viewers and participants can observe the magic of the automatic photobooth, while witnessing the labour-intensive process of image-making. This installation is both an exploration of inner and outer selves and a demonstration of analogue processes in a digital world, using the perfect imperfections of the analogue photographic image.”
Kodak Girls, an installation/performance piece by Olivia Johnston and Jennifer Stewart, created for the summer 2022 edition of Pique
[text written by Olivia Johnston]
