Ephemeral Experiences with Rebecca Harris and the Lomo LC-A 120

Rebecca Harris is a UK artist, musician and member of the band Samana. We sent her a Lomo LC-A 120 along with some rolls of Berlin Kino B&W 120 400 ISO and LomoChrome Metropolis 120 film to test out around rural West Wales. She talked to us about the beauty of limitations and capturing memories and moments through film.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

Hi Rebecca, please tell us about yourself.

I am a multi-disciplinary artist based out in rural West Wales. I am a fine-art photographer, poet, musician, filmmaker and painter. A large part of my work gravitates around the concepts of the subconscious, the interpretation of dreams and the processes of grief.

My partner and I create conceptual music and soundscapes under the name ‘Samana’ - a project which confronts the heaviest elements of the human condition, alternately surrendering to this heaviness and transcending it. The music is born from a nomadic and solitary existence, where we place great emphasis on the beauty of the natural world and the lands of dreams, which lie at the heart of our musical inspiration.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

What's the appeal of shooting with film?

The appeal of shooting film is, for me, a connection to the visceral elements of life. It is a feeling; an alchemic process and transformation between emotion and experience. Film constitutes our connection with place and time and is a beautiful analogy of life - a series of ephemeral experiences, a connection to a place, a person or a time forever sealed in memory and light.

Film is a companion for our existence and an extension of the present moment. When I am moved by desire, emotion or intention, I will eternalise a vision or a moment through film. What distills itself in analogue photography, contrary to that of digital, is the beauty of being bound by certain limitations which force the beholder to be present in the capturing of such a moment.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

How did you get on shooting with the Lomo LC-A 120? What did you choose to shoot and how do you like the results?

For a medium format camera, a combination of both simplicity and it being light-weight makes it the kind of camera you could take on explorations without concern, enjoying the impulsive act of shooting in the moment. We took this camera on tour with us for a couple of weeks across the country. For me, the greatest feature of the Lomo LC-A 120 is its ability to create double exposures. This feature makes it unique in the world of medium format and offers the artist a beautiful terrain in which to experiment and explore.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

One roll of film came out unexpectedly, with some really interesting pinkish results. How do you feel about the nature of film photography, and the issues that come with it?

Yes it did. The roll produced a spectrum of stark carnation pinks and deep amethyst mauves. I love the unexpected results of this roll, as this is an unforeseen element of the process that makes film exciting and profound. It highlights this magical relationship with film and the analogue process in general; the fact that you can never be certain of the results produced, gives way to an element of esotericism. It is an organic and uncertain medium. Film feels like it exists on its own terms, for which one never holds total control. This, I believe is where the magic seeps in.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

The location where this specific film was shot is one of great significance to the druids and to our Celtic ancestors. Our band collectively shared a beautiful moment there. It was the morning after the last show of our Autumn tour, in Pembrokeshire. After a wonderful breakfast we walked along the cliffs until we came to this flat shelf of rock that opened out onto a panoramic horizon of ocean. The wind was fierce and the sun was so bright that is dazzled off the breaking waves below. I like to interpret these colors as the fossilized light concealed in centuries of ancient rock formations. An ambit of elements influencing the crystallization of light.

Photos by Rebecca Rose Harris

What's coming up in 2023 for you?

This year is an incredibly exciting one for us, charged with opportunity and possibility. I feel as if the months ahead are vibrating with the frequency of forming stars. We have been working on a new body of music that is a conceptual tapestry of psycho geographical landscapes, dream accounts, the intricate navigation of loss and telepathic love. We will be releasing the first song from this body of work at the end of March with the full EP being released at the end of May.

We are then going on tour across the UK in June with our full band and will be releasing and creating new work in residencies and in our studio throughout the year. There may also be some exhibitions in the pipeline! Keep an eye open.


For more information about Rebecca's work visit her website and find out more about Samana here.

2023-02-25 #news #people #wales #uk #lc-a120 #berlin-kino #lomochrome-metropolis #samana-music

Mentioned Product

Lomo LC-A 120

Lomo LC-A 120

The Phoblographer Editor's Choice Award Winner "The best street photography camera: film or digital. Pretty much nothing will beat this."

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