Design Practice: The Impossible - Background

From looking at what analogue photography was I found the Impossible Project so I decided to look deeper to what this was. I looked on there website and found out a lot of information about what they do and all the different kinds of polaroid which I wasn't aware of. I really like the look of there website with the little illustrations and use of polaroid pictures. The polaroid is a very well known analogue camera so my brief could be focused onto it as the impossible project are trying to bring it back so it is relevant today.

http://www.the-impossible-project.com

ABOUT 2008 - 2010

In October 2008 The Impossible Project saved the last Polaroid production plant for integral instant film in Enschede (NL) and started to invent and produce totally new instant film materials for traditional Polaroid cameras. In 2010 Impossible saved analog instant photography from extinction by releasing various, brand new and unique instant films.  Therewith Impossible prevents more than 300.000.000 perfectly functioning Polaroid cameras from becoming obsolete, changes the world of photography and keeps variety, tangibility and analogue creativity and possibilites alive. IMPOSSIBLE TIMELINE 2008 FEBRUARY Polaroid announces that it will withdraw from analog instant film product JUNE Florian Kaps meets André Bosman at the closing event of the Polaroid factory in Enschede, The Netherlands. They decide not to accept the extinction of analog instant photography but to start The Impossible Project. OCTOBER The Impossible Project takes off, having bought the production machinery from Polaroid and leased Building North of the former Polaroid plant. 2009 OCTOBER To mark Impossible's first birthday the giant production machines were fired up again, being fed with a selection of vintage and re-developed materials. 2010 MARCH Impossible presents its first, new instant film: PX 100 and PX 600 Silver Shade. JULY The First Flush Edition of the PX 70 Color Shade film is launched - the beginning of a colorful analog future. 2011 Impossible introduces a new color film for Polaroid 600 cameras as well as other formats, various special edition films (Black Frame, Grey Frame, colette, Ace) and presents various exhibitions, amongst others POLAROID [IM]POSSIBLE at WestLicht Vienna, featuring Impossible artworks next to photos of the saved European Polaroid Collection. THE IMPOSSIBLE F A C T O R Y The Impossible factory is located in Building Noord (North) of the former Polaroid plant in Enschede. Since its early days this impressive black and white striped building has been the heart of the film production plant, housing the giant production machines. Impossible also moved all other machinery required to start re-production of instant film to Building Noord. With this new and modern setup, production was downscaled from 3-4 buildings in Polaroid times to just one building

THE IMPOSSIBLE P R O D U C T I O N

STARTING FROM SCRATCH Due to the fact that the original Polaroid color dyes are not available any more and that there is no chance to reproduce them, the Impossible Project had to start from the very scratch. The Impossible team had one year to completely reinvent a new photographic instant system. Impossible? Almost. But after thousands of experiments and after a million of small steps and a lot of blood, sweat and tears (not to forget the support of many excellent partners) we managed to develop a new Impossible film system.	IMPOSSIBLE SILVER SHADE FILM In April 2010 Impossible released the first line of a new, monochrome film. Based on Impossible's new Silver Shade system, this unique new monochrome system contains 29 new layers as well as 13 new chemicals and forms the basis of all our future products. By now, the following Silver Shade film materials are available: PX 100 Silver Shade for Polaroid SX 70 cameras, PX 600 Silver Shade for Polaroid 600 cameras and PZ 600 Silver Shade for the wide format in Polaroid Image/Spectra 1200 cameras.	IMPOSSIBLE COLOR SHADE FILM In July 2010 Impossible released the First Flush Edition of a first, brand new color film - quite a miracle considering that not even the most optimistic experts believed in the re-invention of the highly complex instant color system. PX 70 Color Shade FF is the first meteoric product of Impossible's new and rapidly expanding Color Shade universe, compatible with Polaroid SX 70 as well as 600 camera models.