Canton Palace (from Theaters series) , 1980
Photograph - Silver Gelatin Print
21 1/4 x 16 1/2 in
53 x 43 cm
High contrast silver gelatin print, black and white photograph of movie theater interior and white screen. Edition of 25. Sheet size 16.5" high by 21.25" wide, float mounted and framed 32.5" high by 37.5" wide. Framed (J. Pocker & Son). In the 1970s and 80s, Sugimoto used a folding 4x5 camera and tripod to document the interior of movie theaters across the United States. His procedure was to open the shutter just before the "first light" hit the screen and close it after the credits finished rolling and before the house lights came on. Using this method he was able to invert the subject/object relationship of the movie theater and use the film itself to illuminate the theater interior.