Polaroid Type 55 at 15KV

The iconic Polaroid Type 55 black and white instant film, several years expired and improperly stored, receives a jolt from 15,000 volts of electricity, alternating polarity at 60 times per second.

The project follows experiments with Fujifilm FP-100C instant color film, which was similarly subjected to 15,000 volts from a neon transformer, in addition to common household cleaning chemicals. See Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Other Vision Technologies, Real or Otherwise Imagined.

Because of the chemistry and development process of Polaroid Type 55, the images produced are a product of parts of the film being exposed by electricity arcing through the material in combination with the aged developer not evenly distributing between the film and print surfaces. Some of the latter may have as much to do with the fact that rollers were substituted with a silk screen squeegee.