Glue As Emulsion

Super glue consists of an adhesive base mixed with a chemical solvent that makes the glue spreadable; the glue dries as the solvent evaporates.

The process of evaporation within the glue, in a sense freeze frames the adhesive base in whatever position it is in as the chemical solvent that keeps it liquid evaporates.

The evaporation process captures the here and now of the moment. Movement gets captured. Flux gets captured in stasis.

I guess a similar thing occurs in photography/film where for a time a human can manipulate chemicals as part of a process, then there is a chemical reaction/process and the chemicals become relatively fixed capturing and freezing a process. Exposure, developing, fixing are the three common stages of the process with all three stages using surface as a foundation.


16mm clear leader, ink pad with water based ink, masking tape, Super Glue, scissors, block of wood, newspaper and two notepad blocks to keep the 16mm clear leader flat on the newspaper.


Masked out the sprocket holes on the clear leader. Then placed the ink directly on the clear leader using the ink pad.


Squeezed super glue directly onto the ink on the clear leader.


Working quickly before the glue dries, using a wood block to spread the glue along the clear leader – Gerhard Richter style.




Images below of ‘Super Glue and Pink Ink Film’, run through a 16mm projector and the resultant projection captured through this series of four photos.