about joachim knill photography

Joachim Knill's most recent work consists of 20"x30' Polaroids photographs which he creates with the world's largest portable instant film camera designed and built by himself. The one of a kind photographs depict surreal landscapes and installations which he builds in his studio. He uses mostly natural objects such as fruits, flowers, vegetables, seedpods, sticks and stones, or delapitaded building parts, all collected either on his travels or around Hannibal Missouri where he currently resides. These objects are built up as a real life installation which he then captures in a single long exposure with light painting techniques. The lighting turns these scenes into otherworldly realities resembling movie stills that capture ones imagination as to what the storyline might be. By using this large format, the high resolution renders such fine detail that they appear real.
Joachim Knill's work also includes small black and white panoramas created by assembling several viewpoints next to each other. Instead of trying to capture a seamless panorama, he plays around with the various viewpoints, moving around within a scene to capture more of an exploratory experience, yet leaving enough matching overlaps to leave the impression of continuity between the individual viewpoints. He prints each panorama sequentialy onto a single piece of fiber based silver gelatin paper.
Joachim decided to build his own 20"x30" instant film camera after working with commonly available Polaroid materials and getting frustrated by their limited size. He really enjoyed the painterly qualities inherent to the pigment and the sharpness of the one of a kind Polaroid prints. The ability to see the result right away allowed him to correct or alter a scene during the shooting phase. Since the only five 20"x24" cameras that Polaroid built and operated didn't lend themselves for the uses he envisioned, he designed and built one that specifically suited his needs. Improvements include larger image size and portability. After three years of development, he completed the camera in the fall of 1995 and ever since, has been creating most of his work with it. Joachim Knill was born and grew up in Switzerland. He completed a diploma and BFA at The School Of The Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts working in video, film, photography, sculpture, and painting. His wide field of study has allowed him to free of the limitations found in any single art form. His current work with 20x30 Polaroids combines photography with sculpture, installation, and lighting. Many galleries, museums, and international competitions have exhibited his work. For several years Joachim Knill taught film at the SMFA, and Emerson College in Boston, and he has offered a 20x30 Polaroid workshop at the SMFA.