Filmneverdie Shooters - An interview with Arthur Ed Powell
Hi Arthur, where are you from and what do you do for a living?
I grew up in London and attended Ealing School of Art and St Martins School of Art in the 1960's, I studied 2 years in the Ground course developed by Cybernetic artist Roy Ascott followed by 3 years study in advertising. I worked for a number of advertising agencies during my career, mainly with JWT in an international role. After leaving advertising I returned to my first love as a painter/printmaker.
What inspired you to shoot film?
In my position as a creative director, I worked with some of the best photographers in the world, it was in this position that I was first introduced to Polaroid film. In the late 1970's I attended Photo Kina in Cologne Germany. It was here that I first discovered The art of the SX70. The start of a long ongoing relationship with this flexible creative medium.
What is your dream project?
A dream project would be to be able to experiment with a large format Polaroid. I think I would be able to create some very exciting abstract landscapes that cross the boundary between photography and painting. Using my latest manipulated images and Polaroid lifts taken from my paintings I intend to us them as inspiration for some large scale paintings.
Where do you see the future of analog photography?
In answer to the future of film, I can only answer from the Polaroid point of view. Polaroid film has been around since 1948 and the future looks exciting with its replacement, 'Impossible film'. Polaroids with their fragile and unpredictable behavior are one of a kind originals not possible with traditional film, that's what makes this film so interesting from a painters point of view. Polaroid is not dead. Long Live Polaroid.
Where can we go to find out more about your work, Arthur?
Wikipedia Arthur Ted Powell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ted_Powell) Painter and Printmaker
Visual Arts Studio 1, Gasworks Arts Park, cnr Graham and Pickles St, Albert Park Vic 3206
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