I like to find connections between the technology and nature, specifically how advances in technology can radically change how we view and interact with specific spaces. I chose to test my first samples of Impossible’s PX100 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire because, there it is quite easy to see how technological advances introduced as part of the industrial revolution helped change, commodify and ultimately conserve natural spaces. I believe that with the introduction of PX100 instant photography is following the same path.

The summit of Elephant’s trunk looking toward Crawford’s Notch. The first impossible project. My first shot with Impossible PX100 using my SX/70 Sonar.

For most of the history of Crawford Notch, it was thought to be impassible. A usable road would vastly speed up travel between the White Mountains and Maine therefore a hefty reward was offered for anyone who could successfully build a path through it. The first path was probably a lot like PX100; new, rough and a whole lot o fun.

During the latter part of the 1800s the White Mountains were the premier destination for the New England’s wealthy industrial elite. They offered a place to conspicuously consume and an escape from horrid inner city conditions caused by the vacationers own industrial interests. Industrialists were buying and creating value in land that was not intended to have a use but rather to be visually appealing. I believe we are seeing something similar in the resurgance of certain types of niche analog cameras. The cameras marketed by Lomography are particular examples of items that are valued now for different reasons than when they were originally produced.