Boxed In
A collaborative exhibition shown in Hin Bus Depot, Penang, Malaysia curated by Ivan Gabriel. “Boxed In” consisted of local artists different takes on the subject of being boxed in. All artists were handed two identical empty boxes to create the contributions with. Since photography is my medium I decided to make A pinhole camera with the them.
These past few months this title can sum up the entire worlds situation, everybody’s boxed in..
Going from taking the freedom of our daily lives and routines for granted, to suddenly being told when and how we can do what and where.
Not only the body, but also the soul under lock and key. Stuck with only my thoughts and anxieties as company.
– Jakob Zuyten 11/2020
The process
This is how I built my own pin hole camera with what I had lying around at home. With a thick, black sheet of craft paper I made bellows, an empty beer can became the pin hole lens, and then the box the curator provided me with became the camera housing. Luckily I had some very expired Ilford darkroom papers my uncle gave to me ages ago, and with some monobath chemicals from Cinestill I was ready to make images. This project had many trials and errors, everything from light leaks to gusts of wind almost trashing the whole build in a matter of seconds. With analogue photography you rarely achieve perfection, but in my view that’s what makes the process so much more intriguing.
