Featured Maker: Sian Cann

Featured Maker: Sian Cann

25th October - 31st December, Retail Gallery

I am an analogue photographer, revelling in the unedited beauty and delicate process of Polaroid emulsion lift. This experimental technique allows me to capture the essence of a moment, and to create artworks that are as unique, wild, and visceral as the subjects that inspire me. As a visually impaired photographer, the tactile nature of this process enables me to explore my deepest connections with Nature, and to share the magic that I experience in the world.

This new work for MAKE Southwest was a joy to create; not only is it a reverence to the season of autumn, but it is a celebration of my own recent recovery from major eye surgery. In these emulsion lifts it was my intention – as it always is in my photography – to give others the opportunity to immerse themselves in the whimsy and wonder of the world that I know. Considering these tumultuous times, I also wanted the pieces to offer a sense of mindfulness in noticing the beautiful little details of Nature, a calmness in taking a moment for yourself in the peace of this picturesque season, and the escape into an ethereal world that is right on your doorstep, if only you choose to see it.