THE Uninvited Polaroids

During the 2024 UNinvited INvitational, over 90 Polaroid images were taken. Displayed here is a collection of images taken by Abbey Furrer, myself, and anyone who happened to have a Polaroid in their hands during the Uninvited Invitational.

I was given the freedom to manipulate these images, and through experimenting with emulsion lifts, I discovered I could maneuver small fragments of the emulsion and paint them onto the surface of the paper. This process required coating the paper in a chemical solution (or size) composed of sodium citrate and gelatin bloom— something I learned by accident when I used a piece of paper I had prepped for salt prints while I was in college. After tweaking the original mixture to remove the light sensitive component, this process was born. 

Each piece on display takes between 15 to 30 hours to create and contains anywhere from 2 to 5 individual Polaroids.

“The Uninvited was spearheaded in 2017 by Jess Kimura, one of the most influential snowboarders of the past decade. After recognizing an abundance of talent without a proper platform to showcase it on, she self-produced an award-winning film trilogy that challenged the gender disparity in the action sports industry. The Uninvited series launched multiple careers for girls, women, and non-binary riders who needed a place to shine.

Harnessing the same energy and intentions that fueled those films, we have channeled them into a competition series where these riders aren't just a subcategory; they are the main event. By providing the platform and tools needed for them to thrive, our goal is to empower these athletes to rise above expectations and rewrite the narrative for generations to come.” (https://the-uninvited.com/about)