Introducing "The Instant Film Project" by M. Freddy
It tells my story through polaroids and drawings that extend their borders
There’s a certain magic to being a creative. You can feel blue, spikey, warm, golden, checkered… I draw the things I can’t fully express with words. Moments when I look at my dog and hope he’d live forever; moments when I have to drink on a Whatsapp call because I moved to London and my friends are still in New York; and moments when I appreciate the whimsy of something I saw in London.
My latest series, The Instant Film Project, documents my life during a period of profound technopolitical change. It tells my story through polaroids and drawings that extend their borders. A form of photo elicitation, I record my drawing process, talk about the composition unscripted, and the moments that inspired the piece. Sometimes I talk at length, other times I draw in silence. A charming interpretation of show-don’t-tell.
Chalk pastel is a practical, colourful choice, and a sentimental one as well. Back when I studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York, I was a student of James Romberger, a chalk pastel artist in the East Village canon alongside Basquiat, Wojnarowicz, and McGinley. I have been close friends of the Romberger-Van Cook family since. Chalk pastel reminds me of the New York art world, and my home in the Upper East Side.
I find the nature of chalk pastel lends itself to action painting — there’s not much room for error, no erasing, and not much re-working before the artwork gets murky. Even though I don’t “attack the canvas” as some abstract expressionists do, I take a deep breath and draw. There’s a sense of Pollock’s “controlled accident” at play: I start with a concept and let the chalk determine the precise outcome. These bold, energetic marks hold the artwork together.
With a background in tech and sustainable development, having served as a fellow and an expert at the United Nations, I always prioritize non-toxic art materials. I use non-toxic chalk pastels and fixative for my own health and the health of my collectors. Similar to my previous series Urban Wildlife, The Instant Film Project features animals and everyday objects around me. Each piece is accompanied by custom prose. Collectors offer the first sentence and I respond with a reflection shaped by the artwork, a story that invites dialogue.
The Instant Film Project is part of my broader body of work that explores the role of culture in socioeconomic change. My book 5 Ideas from Global Diplomacy advocates for the idea of culture as critical infrastructure i.e. spaces that enable individuals to contest norms’ interpretations and adopt new ones. It is my hope that this series will continue to create spaces for dialogue and change.
A warm thank you for your support. Your presence here matters.
M. Freddy