Wet Slumber Bound in Plastic Time: Clare Chong and the Daguerreotype Achromat

Singaporean filmmaker Clare Chong describes her work as "ponders on minute moments, snippets of reality and dream fragments." Match Clare's skill and vision with the Daguerreotype Achromat, and it results in mesmerizing images straight out of a dream or perhaps, a world beyond ours. Here, she shares the inspiration behind this video project:

"Singapore’s HDB void decks are often deemed as a space for plural co-existence. Supposedly, people of different ethnicities, religions, cultures, and age, congregate and socialize in this space. However, as we are moving towards a more globalized and desensitized society, void decks are gradually losing its original purposes.

To express this act of moving away and losing meaning, an HDB void deck will be wrapped in semi-translucent plastic sheets, similar to the imagery present in a house when someone moves their furniture away. Dancers wrap themselves over the architecture in an attempt to stop them from moving away, their bodies drift in and out of consciousness. Gradually, they start to understand the inevitability of change, and their movements serve as a commemoration of this space that was once a key contributor in building plural co-existence in Singapore."

As for the concept of the photography series, Clare said she came up with it while listening to 'Bonds' and started to pen down some words while listening:

Wet slumber at the void

deck

in white

plastic

girls all drenched

Sleeping.

She let the words and visuals stew in her head for about a week before planning for the shoot. This eventually became a 6-minute music video and she took 6 photographs with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens throughout the two-day shoot to capture these images.

Regarding using the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens, she says that it was a totally different experience from my 50mm lens that she is accustomed to. "The weight of the lens somehow gave my photographs more emphasis and made me more conscious of the camera as an extension of my body. I really liked how the images created have a dreamlike effect to them. It is perfect for the concept of my shoot and I’d definitely like to use this lens again in the future, perhaps using it to shoot videos instead this time.."

Clare used the Canon 600D Camera with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens for the photos.

Keep updated on her works through her website and her company Instagram account and Facebook page.

written by crissyrobles on 2017-05-22 #people #videos #lomography-art-lens #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens