Kari Wehrs
Frequently I see photographers that create a project that is a seamless blend of concept, intention, and process. Their aesthetic and point of view are a perfect fit to make a body of work stand out in the best possible way. When I first saw the work of Kari Wehrs, I immediately took note of the fact that she was making tintypes, as this is a process that frequently stands out for its unique and timeless look. The collection of portraits were also quite strong and sincere. However, when I read her statement and learned of her ideas behind making this work, it was clear that this was a well-thought-out series of images with something to say. One other thing of note - many of the photographs had holes in them. What?
So to be brief and let her tell the story in the interview, Kari took herself out of her comfort zone by tackling a subject that caused both curiosity and fear - gun culture in America. This fear sparked the idea that she would set up her darkroom tent near known target shooting locations in Arizona and asked starters to pose for her camera with their guns. Being that the tintype process was an American Civil War-era process and soldiers used to pose for their portraits, in the same way, this seemed like the most impactful and historical way of going about this idea. Here’s the clincher, though - after processing the image, Kari gave each participant the option to shoot their newly made one-of-a-kind portrait with the very gun they had posed with. Some did, some did not. This resulted in a collection that illustrates the active participation by subjects beyond simply being in the photograph. It also adds to the uniqueness of the group as a whole.
So my fascination with someone facing their fears and producing a body of work that meets them head-on gets some serious attention from me. You know I had questions, and thankfully Kari came through with some answers to make you think and process what facing fear might mean for you. It also thoroughly addresses the conversation of the often uncomfortable gun debate that has become commonplace in households around this country. Hopefully, it has meaning and use for you in your discussions. Thank you again, Kari. You’re a true original.
Conor
Bio -
Kari Wehrs is a photographer and educator currently living in Tempe, AZ. She attended Arizona State University for her MFA in photography and graduated in the Spring of 2018.
As a child, Kari spent hours flipping through her Grandmother's family photo albums that dated from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. The photographs were compiled neatly, often with handwritten notations, which suggested to her that they were precious objects. Wanting to see the details of each image, Kari often examined the photographs with her Grandmother's magnifying glass. She found the idea that time could be recorded and "held" in photographs to be truly fascinating.
Originally from Minnesota, Kari attended the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse for her undergraduate education, and soon after attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, in the fall of 2007. Kari has been associated with the Maine Media Workshops + College in Rockport, Maine, since 2008, and has been a workshops instructor since 2012.
Kari has a deep interest in the techniques, technology, and history of the photographic medium. While embracing multiple methods in her own work, her most recent series is portraiture employing the 1850s wet plate collodion process (tintypes).
Interview -
Michael Kirchoff: Before getting into specifics about your work and process, I’m wondering what your earliest motivation to pursue photography had been. Was there a particular person or event that sparked your curiosity?
Kari Wehrs: As a child and into my young teens, I was always interested in looking at my grandmother’s family photo albums. I’d settle on a few pictures and look at them with a magnifying glass. The details were little “discoveries”. It was an experience to sift through the pictures, ask her questions, and listen to stories. I was also interested in the materiality of the objects. Of course, I couldn’t articulate my intrigue at the time, but in looking back I think these experiences were crucial to my understandings, questions, and desires for photography.
MK: It appears that you are predominantly looking to make work using historical processes, with an emphasis on tintypes. What is it about older photographic technologies that have attracted this attention?
KW: I appreciate the slowness and the almost meditative mindset that I fall into when I work with historic processes. Tintypes serve as a one-of-a-kind object and I enjoy the element of chance that accompanies each exposure.
MK: Lightning round! In addressing silver nitrate stains…Gloves or no gloves? Apron, overalls, or old clothes?
KW: Gloves! Often times older clothes or things that I won’t care if they have stains, or that won’t show. It’s strange but I typically don’t get stains on my clothing, and I’m the messiest and get silver stains on my hands and arms through the process of cleaning up at the end of a working shift!
MK: I must admit that I had seen images from your body of work, Shot, previously, and been quite intrigued by the images I was seeing. You were recognized by the CENTER Awards in 2020, and that was when I knew I had to speak to you about this work. Can you give us the backstory for what prompted you to start this impressive project?
KW: This project is the result of a confluence of influences. References to gun use and violence from the national to the personal level (including my mother telling me that she began carrying), experimentation with a prior set of photos which resulted in a mentor shooting at an image that I had made, a challenge from another mentor to make work about “something that scares you”, my admiration for historical photographs, and tons of critical feedback and support from mentors, peers, and family. Looking back, it’s difficult for me to separate one instance from the others because they truly all added up and had a way of presenting themselves to me.
Neco
Aimee and Mike
Jamie
Sarel
MK: What is the general consensus of those you ask to sit for a portrait? Are most of them receptive to the idea or are they suspicious in any way?
KW: Most people are willing to take part in the project but I do get turned down once in a while. In cases where I am turned down, there is little conversation, so I can’t truly say that it’s because folks are suspicious, though I have gotten that impression a few times. I am turned down once in a while because the photo process is slow and will take a dedicated amount of time, and some people don’t want to use their time that way (after all, I am interrupting their target practice session).
MK: I absolutely love your idea of letting each person have the opportunity to shoot their own portrait. It does seem a bit morbid in some way, but at the same time, the participation from them is fascinating to see in how they have a direct impact on the final look of each image. Was this the idea from the outset, or did it come about while in the field?
KW: This was the concept from the beginning. My intention was subversive, though this act – or lack of it – also speaks to ideas about agency and control. There is a mirroring of concepts in the project with the larger topics that are often associated with gun culture, use, and ownership.
MK: I’m wondering if you have any particularly interesting stories or people you encountered while making this work?
KW: In 2019, I met Aaron. When I first approached him, he was with a large group and as I began working with another person for a portrait, Aaron stood back and remained reserved. He didn’t really speak up but the group conversation circled around the love and pride that these men had in gun ownership, and it also touched on politics and notions of what “the other side” thinks or feels. As the group dispersed, I asked Aaron if he would like to participate in the project. We worked our way through a couple of images, and with a successful portrait made, we ended our session by saying our thanks to each other. (This is a common ending to these sessions, which has been a revealing aspect of making this work, as sessions tend to end in an exchange of gratitude). Aaron turned and began walking away, but after a few seconds he turned back to me and said “I think there’s something that you might be interested in knowing”. He explained that he doesn’t particularly feel like he belongs on one political side or another, and he realizes that is often an unpopular opinion to share, but instead he has placed his strong belief in God as a way that we might move beyond the current divisiveness in our country. I was so moved by this interaction! Not because I agree or disagree – but because he had understood that I was truly interested in connecting and in an exchange of ideas, and he was willing to share his voice.
MK: There is a distinct correlation of this work to the historical portraits made with the same process during the American Civil War. With the current ideological climate towards gun ownership and the potential for a new civil war of sorts happening, was this in your mind as the portraits progressed? One can only assume that this must have been a very eye-opening experience for you.
KW: Absolutely, yes. I thought about this relationship in the work in many ways. For example, we are not in an actual civil war, but we have experienced culture wars at what many feel is an unprecedented level.
Mike
Alex
J
Vince, Dan, and Stephen
Sam
MK: Is there a goal for this work that revolves around the conversation of gun ownership in America?
KW: Certainly, but also around divisiveness more broadly. My main goal is that the work is provocative. I also feel that context is important (personal, cultural, and historical).
MK: Do you feel any influence in your work that might be derived from somewhere else in the art world? Music, literature, dance, or sculpture maybe?
KW: There wasn’t a specific influence, though in working with tintypes for a significant time prior to this project, I felt a built-up desire to push the “objectness” of the photos even further. I wanted them to be more sculptural in form - and then yes, Shot was a form of achieving this. Additionally, I created a set of individualized cases for some of the smaller and earliest photos from this project. These are a more modern version of the historical tintype cases and included cut-outs for areas in the plate that had been shot, allowing the plate to lay flat within its case.
MK: I notice that you also do some teaching at the Maine Media Workshops + College. I assume this is in alternative/historical processes? How does being an educator inform or direct your own work?
KW: I love this question! The Maine Media Workshops is a magical place and even though I engage there as an educator, there is so much to absorb that I continue to learn from others and from my students. Year after year, the workshop experience is one that feels full circle – so much that I would say it is now an integral part of my creative practice!
Since 2012, I have taught adult and young artist courses, and I teach in a range of areas. The last few summers I have worked with Maine Media to run a course titled “4-week photo school” with young artists, ages 14 -18. We cover a wide range in the month-long course! We begin with digital image creation, learning Lightroom software, and making pigment prints via Epson printers. We then move on to analog photography, beginning with silver gelatin film and making our own print enlargements in the darkroom. After that, we go further back into time with learning the wet plate collodion process (resulting in tintypes) and we experiment with a very large cyanotype mural on fabric and with small unique cyanotypes formed from digital negatives, hand altered, and/or photogram techniques! Some time is spent in a studio setting using props, working with models and lights, and we go on daily field trips to a variety of locations.
Being an educator keeps creativity alive. It reminds me to spice things up once in a while, break my own rules, experiment, and continue to be curious and thoughtful. I am continuously moved by my students’ work and through the expression of their thoughts and voices!
MK: Concerning creativity and the projects you take on. Do you feel it is better to create work that fits a particular style for yourself, branch out and try new things, or better to simply leave yourself open to possibilities that happen organically?
KW: Trust your intuition and pay attention to your life and investigate your concerns/questions.
Tristan
Ally and Andrew
Luis
Rebecca
MK: How do you see the visual arts, photography more specifically, changing in our new pandemic-infused world? Have you experienced any changes that you feel you will hold on to from now on?
KW: I think that a hybrid of possibilities for teaching and for sharing photography will be more accepted after this, and I am open to trying out these options, but I have not yet personally determined to settle into one thing or another based on the pandemic.
I have enjoyed more virtual events lately – both being a featured artist and as a viewer. It’s wonderful because an artists’ reach can extend far beyond just the folks who can be in the room. Though I think like all things, momentum can swing so far in one direction, that we shouldn’t forget about the other direction. I’m not sure there is a substitute for engagement in person. In less than 1 full year of adjusting our lives to the pandemic, I already see the stress and the negative side-effects on my students. I see that they long for engagement in ways that cannot fully be done at a computer screen.
MK: With either the Shot body of work or something new, is there anything coming up from you that we might have to look forward to?
KW: More to come on this in the future, but I’m dreaming about Shot, the photobook. I’d love to keep you posted as I iron out the details.
MK: Yes! Please do. Thank you for your time with my questions, Kari. This is fascinating work and I’m glad I’ve been able to learn more about it.
*This interview originally posted in its entirety at Analog Forever Magazine, November 15, 2020, here.
You can find more of Kari’s work on her website here.
All photographs, ©Kari Wehrs
