Cut Me A Smile

Artist Karoline Schneider’s collection of portraits, titled ‘Cut Me a Smile’, uses humour and abstraction to tell what can be felt rather than seen. She works with the wet plate collodion technique, an old form of photography. The process is complex, resulting in glass or metal plate positives. The photographs are combined with poetry and graphics inspired by the images. They playfully pick up topics and in combining the two extend the narrative of the arrangement. The poetry was written by Ella Moe. Searching for the best way to respond to Karoline’s photos, Ella developed a three sentence story format that challenges the imagination of the audience. When displayed in a physical space, each work is presented in a different format, using theatrical analogue techniques, including props, light and shadow. The poetry is at times handwritten or typed, using a mechanical typewriter.