Limbo

The past seems ever present in Sury's work due to her use of old photographic techniques. She uses an array of cameras (the most modern being made in the 1970s) working with a range of film sizes (35mm as well as medium and large format). She always prints in black and white using the silver gelatin process. Sticking with these analogue techniques is an intentional decision by an artist working today. It is much easier, although significantly less skilful, to take shots digitally and then alter settings so that they are printed in black and white. However for connoisseurs of photography the look, texture, feel and resonance of the older process is lost in digital format. Another type of photography that Sury's has experimented with is the wet-plate collodion process first introduced in 1851 and used by the American Civil War photographers. It is a method of making photographic negatives using a glass plate coated with chemicals which are then put into an old bellows camera. It is a technique that has seen a resurgence of use in recent years by a range of contemporary artists, most noticeably Sally Mann. It has been described as 'painting with light' and in Sury's work you can see the liquid marks across the print. The work with its vintage look has an almost ghostly quality to it. These processes are key not only to how Sury's makes her work, but also impacts greatly on how the work looks, as she creates an enigmatic and timeless visual language.