The Impossible Project: A Summary of the News

Published on March 25, 2010 in Photography and Polaroid. 14 Comments

pat jopek's sx-70 alpha 1

BREAKING!!: PX 100 and PX 600 are both NOW ON SALE! Go check it out!

Late Monday morning, the 22nd of March 2010, photographic history was made: The Impossible Project unveiled their new, black and white analogue instant film for old Polaroid cameras. I followed the live-tweeting on twitter, and I searched flickr, blogs and beyond to bring you all the information in one place.

CONTENTS

  1. What is The Impossible Project?
  2. Leading Up To The Press Conference
  3. The Press Conference: Monday 22nd March, 2010
    1. Live-Tweet Summary
  4. After The Show
  5. Summary of Information
    1. Information about the New Film
    2. Information about Price
    3. Information about The Impossible Collection
    4. Official Information Links
  6. Summary of Other Articles
  7. Summary of Photos
    1. Other Places To Check Out and Discuss the New Film


1. What is The Impossible Project?

The Impossible Project (TIP) is a company formed by three partners: André Bosman, Dr. Florian Kaps, and Marwan Saba. In 2008, André was managing the Polaroid plant now owned by TIP, and was instructed to close it down and destroy the equipment, in order to make way for a new housing complex. Fortunately for Polaroid lovers everywhere, not only was this housing-complex plan scrapped due to the Global Financial Crisis, but one man -- Dr. Florian Kaps -- had the crazy idea to re-start production of instant film for Polaroid cameras.

After quite a bit of negotiation, Kaps, Bosman and a third partner -- Marwan, who would be the “money” side of the project -- managed to convince Polaroid to sell them the plant and equipment, only after agreeing that it was impossible to restart production of Polaroid film. Whether this was a legal binding agreement not to use Polaroid formula, or something else is unknown.

Then over year or so, working with ILFORD (who had previously been approached by Polaroid to lease their technology but declined), the Impossible team went to work constructing a new instant film that would work with Polaroid cameras. First would come black and white, and then colour later on.

2. Leading Up To The Press Conference

There was a timer on TIP’s website, counting down until the end of 2009. This was their deadline to create new instant film, which many people thought was to be the day of the film’s release. Apparently not -

A press conference was announce for February 23rd, 2010 -- 63 years and 1 day after Edwin land, the inventor instant photography and founder of Polaroid, revealed the first instant photograph to the public -- but it was later postponed due to unforeseen problems. The press conference was now on for March 22nd, 2010 -- one month later, or 63 years, one month after Edwin Land’s announcement.

2 days before the announcement, Mijonju of Circle Rectangle posted a video featuring a speech from Dr. Florian Kaps:

And then eventually, the great day came.

3. The Press Conference: Monday March 22nd, 2010

The press conference was scheduled to start at 11am, in The Impossible Project space in New York City. André Bosman, Dr. Florian “Doc” Kaps, Marwan Saba, and more of the European team had all flown over to attend the event. The event started a little after 11, with Jesshibb live-tweeting the event. Here is a (cleaned-up) transcript:

9.52 AM #TIPpress starts at 11:00 & I’ll be live tweeting. Apologies if you’re not interested in Polaroid & The Impossible Project!
10.30 AM @darcyperkins I can’t post photos until after, but yes, live-tweeting, then photos! #TIPpress
10.45 AM http://twitpic.com/1a8zsq -- Waiting for #TIPpress to begin … (pic by Matt Hamilton)
10.46 AM http://twitpic.com/1a8zya -- The Twitter gang is all here! #TIPpress (pic by @polaroidgirl)
10.56 AM Seats are starting to fill up. We have over 100 at the press conference today … Stretching my fingers.
11.08 AM Still waiting for the press conference to start. The elevator is a bit slow!
11.21 AM Starting with intro from @davebias, VP of Impossible America!
11.21 AM Big applause for Doc, Andre, Marwan -- Our heroes!
11.21 AM Doc: Announcing something that will change the future of photography.
11.22 AM Doc: Quoting Edwin Land -- “Don’t undertake a project unless it’s manifestly important and nearly impossible”
11.23 AM Doc: Manifestly important -- There is a place for analog instant photography. 300 million working cameras still exist.
11.24 AM Doc: Plus, let’s not forget that Summit Global is producing new instant cameras later this year.
11.24 AM Doc: People don’t just own their polaroid cameras, they love them.
11.25 AM Doc: 2 types of customers -- traditional users, and most exciting, the new photographers discovering instant film.
11.26 AM Doc: Exploding number of young people flocking to instant film. It’s unpredictable, tangible, magical.
11.26 AM Doc: I’m not supposed to use the word “magic” more than 5 times today, but it’s the only way to describe it. :-)
11.27 AM Doc: No one knows why people shake a polaroid picture. Is it in our DNA?
11.28 AM Doc: This is not just an art project or crazy idea. This room wouldn’t be full of people if it wasn’t viable.
11.28 AM Doc: Nearly impossible -- If Andre had told us how hard it would be, Doc would have been very scared.
11.29 AM Andre: Scientists knew that it would be “impossible” because materials didn’t exist anymore. But we love a challenge!
11.30 AM Andre: The biggest problem was finding the chemicals. Original colour dyes not in stock, re-production takes 2 years.
11.31 AM Andre: The Titanium Dioxide factory was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Many, many obstacles.
11.31 AM Andre: We needed a completely new photo system. Everything had to start from scratch.
11.32 AM Andre showing diagram of the many components in just one little film pack. Some parts still available, many were reinvented.
11.33 AM Andre showing photo of factory in Enschede and giving history.
11.34 AM Showing video walking tour of factory. Of course, video is on Super 8 film. ;-)
11.35 AM Total silence in the room as we watch the film. Everyone is mesmerized.
11.37 AM I’ve never heard so many SX-70 shutter sounds … Like music to my ears!
11.38 AM Factory is 3 floors. Top floor is filled with production equipment.
11.39 AM Showing photo of production team at factory. Over 300 years of polaroid production experience. (I want to hug them ALL.)
11.39 AM Just .005% error in chemistry can make a huge difference. This experience is necessary to get it right.
11.40 AM TIP received help from Ilford/Harman, Inovis Coat, Goglio Group, Fres-co System.
11.40 AM Andre: Ilford helped tremendously with black & white material.
11.41 AM Impossible silver shade system in new film: mask, receiving sheet, developer, negative, rail, mask. Many layers of material.
11.42 AM New film: 29 new layers & 13 new chemicals.
11.44 AM Andre: All of these components are very sensitive, and very thin layers.
11.46 AM Video simulation of photo exposed, pressed through rollers, and popping out of SX-70. Looks easy, but it’s not!
11.47 AM Andre is showing diagram of Silver Shade System. I’m not going to try to explain what he’s saying, it’s so confusing. :-)
11.48 AM Re: developers & solvents … The only way to find out how it’s going to work is to test it. And test it. And test it.
11.49 AM When frame comes out of camera, negative is still photosensitive. The temporary cobalt blue shade protects the photo.
11.50 AM Back to Doc. Where are we now? Update on status …
11.51 AM 22 February 1947: Edwin Land announced instant photography. They were far away from a marketable product.
11.51 AM October 1948: Cameras & film available. First film was 8 frames of sepia-toned material. Cameras sold out in 10 minutes.
11.52 AM 22 March 2010: Impossible Silver Shade Instant Films begin new chapter in instant photography.
11.53 AM PX 100 Silver Shade & PX 600 Silver Shade are first films. 100 for sx-70, 600 for 600 cameras. Different sensitivities.
11.53 AM “First Flush” edition of PX films are the first to come out of the factory.
11.54 AM Doc is showing box of film. Package design is beautiful. Box designed as a sleeve for storing images. Don’t throw it out!
11.55 AM Cassettes designed to fit any camera. No need to remove plastic nubs like current 600 film when used with sx-70 cameras.
11.55 AM Dark slides are collectible cards with special messages. Doc just loaded a pack of film in his sx-70.
11.56 AM Doc just snapped a photo of Andre. We’re watching it develop right now.
11.57 AM PX 100 & PX 600 have different flavors … 100 is more sepia, 600 is more black & white. Available on March 25 online.
11.57 AM Doc: We don’t want to tell you what the film does. It’s not like a can of soda that tastes the same every time you drink it.
11.58 AM The new film has complex flavors, more like a cup of tea. It will taste different every time you brew it.
11.59 AM 40 photographers were invited to test the new film, forming the base of the Impossible Collection.
11.59 AM Originals and enlargements on display in the Impossible office. Press invited to view the work now.
12.00 PM Doc thanks everyone. Lots of applause. Now to start some questions!
12.00 PM Q: What’s the future, beyond the first 2 black & white films?
12.01 PM Doc: Color project coming along. Hope to release color sx-70 film in summer, color 600 film later.
12.02 PM Over the course of the year, 6 total films -- PX 100, PX 600, color 100 & 600, plus color & b+w for image film (spectra)
12.03 PM Impossible Project also working closely with 20x24 studio. There’s a LOT going on.
12.03 PM Since there are so many working cameras out there, hardware is not the main concern. But a new camera is in the works.
12.04 PM Q: What about flash cubes? Doc: Impossible is collecting as many accessories as possible to make it available to photographers.
12.05 PM Doc: Impossible Project aims to supply the whole package … film, accessories, cameras.
12.05 PM Price: 22 USD, 18 Euro for 8 frames.
12.06 PM Q: Will there be limited editions? Doc & Andre: Yes. Some will be on purpose, some will be accidents. :-)
12.07 PM Example, Fade to Black would normally be thrown away. Impossible Project sees the artistic value, and it’s now a best-seller.
12.08 PM Q: Is the film manipulatable? Doc: Yes! A few from test photographers show manipulation ability. Highly sensitive to temperature.
12.10 PM A couple of image lifts are also on display. New film encourages interaction, touch, manipulation. Highly sensitive.
12.11 PM Q: Does Impossible have rights to Polaroid name? Doc: It’s a NEW instant film for Polaroid cameras.
12.13 PM Q: Is it possible to make a new camera slightly smaller than the sx-70? Doc & Andre: Well, nothing is impossible. ;-)
12.15 PM Q: What’s been invested so far? Marwan: 2.3 million Euro.
12.16 PM Q: What’s the goal for production? Doc: Our target is 10 million films per year.
12.16 PM A: Is there a renaissance in interest in analog film? Doc: People increasingly want to use analog & digital side by side.
12.17 PM Analogy: You have an mp3 player, but sometimes you want to sit down w/ a glass of wine & listen to vinyl records. Same w/ photos.
12.22 PM Q: Who’s making batteries? Doc: We have 500k of the original batteries. Working to develop rechargeable battery solution.
12.22 PM Doc: To be more eco-friendly, new camera will be designed with rechargeable battery separate from film.
12.23 PM Q: What’s the plan for Asian markets? Doc: Strategy is to have same price & delivery times around the world. Plus retail stores.
12.24 PM New film available for order on March 25, to begin shipping next month.
12.28 PM Doc: Thank you all for coming. Lots of applause. Everything’s breaking up, people are chatting & checking out photos.

4. After The Show

A video was posted on The Impossible Project’s website, actually before the show got underway:

This video should introduce you to the new film, the people behind it, and the new Impossible Collection. Basically; the film develops from blue. This blue layer is a layer to help protect it from light as it is developing, and some film was sent out to 40 different artists from around the world who each helped to test the film. Some of their photos have been printed and framed and now make up The Impossible Collection.

Just after the video went up, TIP’s new website also went online. From here, we can gather a fair bit of important information. For example, the film is very susceptible to heat and exposure, as outlined on the film section of their website. Also, the wording on the Production pages makes it seem that not only will we be getting a new colour film before long, but the people at Impossible will keep working on new films; possibly refining the existing films; perhaps making it more stable?

The British Journal of Photography and their blog quickly posted some articles; an article about the announcement, some photos of the film and it’s packaging, an introduction to the Impossible Collection, and some more photos from the Impossible Collection. A little while later they posted something far more interesting: a hands-on with PX 100 film.

Many of the people lucky enough to test the film for Impossible began posting their creations on flickr, twitter and personal blogs. News papers, sites and blogs started picking it up, and now The Impossible Project is finally, officially, ready to rock and roll! Read on for a summary of more information to feed on:

5. Summary of Information

Information about the new Film

  • The new film is called PX 100 and PX 600, in 100 ASA/ISO for SX-70s and 600 ASA/ISO for 600-series Polaroids respectively. It will come in packs of 8 shots for USD$22 or €18 each. That’s $2.75 or €2.25 per shot.
  • PRICE: There will be an introductory price of $21/pack, according to their press release. That’s $2.625/shot.
  • The film develops from a cobalt blue colour -- this blue layer helps protect the image from light exposure.
  • PX 100 (SX-70) will be more sepia, PX 600 will be more Black & White.
  • Film will be available for order on Thursday 25th March, 2010. Shipping in April.
  • The darkslide on each film pack is a collectable card.
  • There will be a limited number of film packs available from TIP’s New York store on Thursday.
  • Current film packs are using an old supply of batteries from Polaroid -- a new rechargeable battery system is in the works.
  • New colour film will be available later in the year. SX-70 colour film is scheduled for a Summer ’10 announcement.
  • Image/Spectra/1200 format film will be available some time this year, in both colour and black and white.
  • New camera coming one day, not a priority though. Will have some sort of rechargeable battery system.

Information on the Delay

  • UPDATE: According to Amateur Photographer, the PX 600 film has been delayed. They say production will start mid-April. Fingers crossed this is a mistake.
  • According to them, TIP is currently focusing on PX 100 production, and they need to produce PX 100 at full capacity. Once enough PX 100 has been produced, they’ll start on PX 600.
  • TIP predicts PX 600 production will start in mid-april.

Information about Price/Availability

  • USD$: Both PX 100 and PX 600 film will be $22/pack of 8 shots. That’s $2.75/shot. There will be an introductory price of $21/pack, according to their press release -- that’s $2.625/shot.
  • EUR€: Both PX 100 and PX 600 film will be €18/pack of 8 shots. That’s €2.25/shot. There is no news of an introductory price for Europeans but we’ll see on the 25th of March.
  • GBP£: Both PX 100 and PX 600 film will be £16/pack of 8 shots. That’s £2/shot. There is no news of an introductory price for the UK either.
  • Shipping
    • EU European Countries: €15 / £14
    • non-EU European Countries: €20

Information about the Impossible Collection

  • The Impossible Project invited 40 international artists to test their new film.
  • Some of these results were hand selected to become the basis of The Impossible Collection.
  • The test film they used was not final film -- they were two test films known as Type 40 and Type 43.
  • Supporters of The Impossible Project recently placed a binding offer to purchase The International Polaroid Collection, in order to both preserve it as a whole and to reopen and expand it.
  • For those that tested the film, the test shots had to be returned around March 1st.

Official Information Links

6. Summary of Other Articles

General Articles

Foreign Articles

Blog Posts

Videos

7. Summary of Photos

Some people were lucky enough to test The Impossible Project’s new film. Here are the photos that have surfaced thus-far:

Flickr: (clicking a thumbnail will take you to the larger image at the photographer’s flickr page)

Futurowoman

I like my coffee analogue, like my photography Laika, February 2010 Peteena, Looking Tough I came across an Impala...
Jade, Looking Circumspect The Campus Theatre An Open Chrysanthemum Orson, February 2010
The Blonde The Orchids

Lawatt

structure blossoms not covered vs. covered
me, half-developed me cissie's door house

Caballosblancos (blog)

Half dead: keep your mouth shut. Windswept and disinterested. We can get on with our lives now. Impossibly foggy tree.

Maplesyruponly (website)

the IMPOSSIBLE, happening! opposites
 ghosts

People Who Don’t Allow Linking:

NOTE: SINCE THE FILM IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF MANY PEOPLE, I WON’T UPDATE THE PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE ANY MORE. CHECK OUT THE FLICKR GROUPS BELOW INSTEAD.

Other Places To Check Out and Discuss the New Film

There are a number of places where people are showing off and talking about the new film. Here are a few:

Flickr Groups

This post is under constant construction, so check back every now and then to see what’s new! I’m about to go to sleep, but please feel free (and encouraged!) to leave a comment, especially if you’ve got a correction/addition to the list!

Sources:
- Jeffreywithtwof’s (Top Image)
- The-Impossible-Project

Related posts:

  1. The Impossibe Project Film is NOW AVAILABLE
  2. New Polaroid/Fujifilm Camera – Polaroid PIC-300
  3. Polaroid SX-70!
  4. One Massive Polaroid Film Order.
  5. My First Shots of Artistic TZ (Edge Cut)
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