Artist Statement
SurfLand is an ongoing project, begun in Montauk, NY. The photographs are a unique blending of subject matter and photographic technique. Using the instantaneous wet-plate collodion process, I am creating one-of-a-kind tintypes that are imbued with a feeling of ambiguity, timelessness and mystery.
Landscapes, seascapes, and the human imprint on these views has been my focus. Returning year after year to the same location has led me to examine the juncture between land and sea, exploring subject matter in a constant state of transition. Surfers are an integral part of this liminal state. I am fascinated by the physical and poetic way that they inhabit America’s watery landscapes..
The photographs were shot on both coasts of the US and more recently in Australia. SurfLand is a chronicle and celebration of these fascinating denizens of regional surf spots across the nation.
Process Statement
I work with a large-format camera and wet process that must be prepared and developed on location. The procedure is elaborate and is part theater and part craft. It draws spectators as well as entices new subjects. Once on location, the darkbox and chemicals are set up before I compose the picture and sensitize the plate. The process is slow and each image can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Exposure times range anywhere from 1/2 second to 5 seconds, depending on where I am shooting, the time of year, the speed of my lens and freshness of my chemicals. The nature of collodion is spontaneous and unpredictable, as it's a hand poured emulsion. Its' raw quality suits the subject matter, giving it a distinctive appearance and echoing important traditions of nineteenth-century anthropological photography.
Joni Sternbach was born in the Bronx, New York and graduated from New York University/International Center of Photography (ICP) with an M.A. in Photography in 1987. She was part of the adjunct faculty at NYU for over 20 years, and is currently a faculty member at Cooper Union and the Penumbra Foundation in NYC where she teaches wet plate collodion.
Sternbach uses both large format film and early photographic processes to create contemporary landscapes and environmental portraits. Her work centers on our relationship with water, contrasting some of the most desolate deserts in the American West to iconic surf beaches around the world.
Her work is part of several public collections including the Nelson Atkins Museum, St Louis Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She is the recipient of several grants including NYFA and CAPS and represented in Los Angeles by Von Lintel Gallery and by Rick Wester Fine Art in New York.
Bibliography
Surfing by Jim Heimann published by Taschen 2016
Surf Site Tin Type published by Damiani Editore 2015
The Passengers published by Cafe Royal Books 2014
Promise Land published by Cafe Royal Books 2013
The Photographs Not Taken by Will Steacy 2012
SurfLand by Joni Sternbach published by photolucida 2009
Face to Face: Ocean Portraits by Huw Lewis-Jones 2010
Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort by Peter Galassi published by the Museum of Modern Art 1991
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