A Salute to Women in STEM
Allison Farrish
One of the best things about my job is seeing the way people talk about their passions and putting a story to their words.
I had the privilege of conversing with Allison Farrish, one of the photographers who displayed seven portraits for the Naanzhe: Water is Color event at Co.Lab gallery, in Goods and Co. Market. She is a member of Nefarious film, a collective started by former Argus Editor-In-Chief, Sarah McPherson, to showcase art in Thunder Bay. Being a mechanical engineering student, naturally, Allison chose her theme to be “Women in STEM.” As a fellow art enthusiast, I was excited to discover her process in finding the perfect shot. I love hearing about the lengths photographers go to get the perfect photo.
“I wanted to focus on women in STEM because studying in a field of this difficulty level, it’s hard to be motivated when you don’t see someone like you,” she says.
“This one specifically (the shoot) was a bit different because I’m accustomed to taking nature pictures. It was difficult because of the constant moving as I told them to pretend I wasn’t there. And they were doing a lab so it was a bit difficult to get a good shot and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“It was like a sneak attack because I would wait for certain poses where the focus would differ in each shot and change the black space in the background,” she chuckles.
I asked her how she knew if it turned out to be a good photo and she replied with a laugh, “Ummm.. I don’t.. I just go with it. I definitely prefer taking photos of nature but I wanted to challenge myself.”
From our chat, I was introduced to a concept called film souping, an experimental technique of soaking a roll of film in chemicals to create destructive effects on a print. It's common to see large swirls of color, dots, or even completely damaged emulsion on your film. Moreover, the lab being observed included vinegar and as a final salute, Allison added the agent to her film soup.
“I tried being a chemist for a day,” she joked.
Her work can be described as having a vintage sci-fi-ish spin. A wonderful collage of addressing a pressing issue while allowing an Aurora Borealis effect on her portraits. Furthermore, her creativity is a breakthrough in the STEM field. She adds to closing the gap between the arts and sciences by bringing her love of photography to the lab. What makes her even more amazing is that she involves other women in her pieces! We both hope this will encourage STEM students to find hobbies outside their passions and in some way connect both.
