Photographer Ellen Carey has launched an innovative project that bridges two centuries of photographic technology to answer a fundamental question about contemporary image-making. Her series 'Ellen's Hand - Talbot's Curve' merges 19th-century photogram techniques with 20th-century Polaroid instant technology to explore what defines a 21st-century photograph. This conceptual work represents Carey's ongoing investigation into photography's essence, building upon her extensive practice that questions the medium's boundaries between analog and digital processes.
The photogram technique, which creates images without cameras by placing objects directly on light-sensitive paper, dates back to photography's origins in the 1830s. William Henry Fox Talbot originally called these 'photogenic drawings' or 'sun pictures' before the term 'photogram' emerged. Carey discovered a personal connection to this history through her first name, Ellen, which in Irish, Celtic, and Gaelic traditions means 'light' or 'bringer of light.' This linguistic link became a conceptual foundation for her work, intertwining personal identity with photographic heritage.
'Ellen's Hand - Talbot's Curve' specifically references Talbot's mathematical equation describing light's behavior while incorporating his famous early photograph of a human hand. Carey employs a variation of the Dada and Surrealist 'exquisite corpse' game, beginning her process in total darkness with nothing predetermined. She folds color photographic paper according to Talbot's curve equation, then exposes it to create abstract forms that reference both mathematical precision and organic chance.
Working with extremely light-sensitive color materials demands complete darkness during creation, intensifying the performative aspect of Carey's practice. She moves through the blacked-out darkroom using only tactile sensation and muscle memory to position materials and create exposures. The resulting photograms emerge as unique objects, impossible to duplicate exactly, with colors that seem to radiate from within the paper itself. Some pieces involve zero exposure time, pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a photographic image.
The series connects to multiple historical and conceptual threads within art history, from prehistoric cave paintings featuring handprints to contemporary discussions about the artist's hand in creation. Carey deliberately references the invisible labor behind photographic production, a topic often overlooked in discussions of the medium. Her palette draws from photographic color theory using RGBYMC (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Magenta, Cyan), creating images that function as both scientific specimens and aesthetic objects.
Carey's project runs parallel to her other major series, 'Photography Degree Zero' using the Polaroid 20x24 camera and 'Struck by Light' her broader photogram practice. Together, these bodies of work demonstrate her commitment to exploring light's fundamental properties across different technological platforms. 'See What Develops,' a phrase borrowed from Polaroid's history, aptly describes her creative process and celebrates photography's evolution from the 19th century to today. Viewers can explore the work at www.ellencareyphotography.com.
