365 Things to Do in Boston - New Tips Daily

Polly Apfelbaum, Sophie Calle, James Casebere, Catherine Chalmers, Jeanne Dunning, Mona Hatoum, Vik Muniz, Liliana Porter, Kunie Sugiera, William Wegman

Since 1998 MassArt has invited renowned visiting artists to use its 20x24 Polaroid camera, one of only five such cameras still in operation. This camera - favored by artists such as Mary Ellen Mark, Elsa Dorfman, Chuck Close, and William Wegman - allows for invention and interactivity through its unique process. The camera is a large (about two feet wide, three feet deep, and five feet high) but simple machine that operates with a lens and a Polaroid film processor.

The physical nature of the processing (due largely to the size of the camera) is often likened to print making. After an exposure is made a motor pushes the sandwiched negative and positives of the image through rollers to spread the developer, after approximately 75 seconds the positive is carefully pulled apart to reveal the image. Polaroid 20x24 prints have unique and characteristic chemical smears at the top and bottom of each print, a remnant of the developing process. Likened to an audiophile's love of vinyl records, this vintage camera is cherished for its crisp detail, beautiful print quality, and instant results.

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