The Nomadic Photo Ark is in Savannah seeking stories of meaning from the community

Inside, however, art is happening.

“Back in the beginning of 2021, I started building the Ark, which is a fully portable photo darkroom,” said Frisell, the photographer of the pair. “There’s also a small office in there.”

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

“The main thing is that I shoot predominately film and large format, and I wanted to be able to just process on my own wherever I was. So I decided to put all of my eggs into this one little trailer.”

"Portrait of US," she and Scher's long-term artistic endeavor, is about collecting and telling stories. Everywhere they go, the duo connects with the local community, asking them to share their lives by telling a tale of personal significance, a tale that the artists record, edit, and share on their website, nomadicphotoark.com. After each story is told, they also photograph the teller with an old-timey 8x10 camera, adding a highly detailed black and white image to go alongside each audio entry.

They use different prompts to engage folks in the process, and to make them feel comfortable enough to tell their stories.

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

“Sometimes it might…be your connection to where we are,” explained Scher, who handles all of the audio for the pair. “What’s your connection to Savannah or this neighborhood?”

“And why is it important to you?” Frisell added.

While on other occasions they’ve prompted folks to tell a story “about something that changed the trajectory of your life, a moment in time that has shaped that, big or small,” said Scher.

One person, for example, told a story of the first time they’d asked a girl out on a date, and how that informed every such experience from then on. Another participant, meanwhile, described how cleaning out their parents home after one of them died lead them to downsize their own life and start living in a trailer.

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

“It’s giving folks the opportunity to tell those stories that they might not share with people outside their immediate family,” Scher related. “Or maybe they’ve never told [the story]. And - I mean this is a really good way - people like to talk about themselves and about stuff that’s happened in their life. And so giving folks a platform and a cool, fun, safe way to do that is important.”

“I don’t want to talk to broadly about our society, but we do live in a time where [some people’s lives] can be very romanticized,” continued Frisell. “You may feel like you can never been seen.

“And this is something where really I just want everybody to leave the room feeling great. So whether the portrait is even that awesome in terms of like fine art photography or anything like that, it’s just really about you being seen and you getting a nice image of yourself that you can maybe see yourself in.”

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

People who are interested in participating in the project can just walk up the residency space during open hours and, if the artists aren't already collecting another story, have their voices heard and their images captured in the moment. But those wishing to ensure themselves of a spot can sign up via a web form at sulfurstudios.org/nomadic-photo-ark. On that site those interested can also register for their pinhole photography and storytelling workshop set to take place on Saturday, March 26 from 12-5 p.m.

While participation in “Portrait of US” is entirely free, the workshop itself has a suggested donation of $30 per person.

“I want people to come either in pairs, like you could come with your good friend, you could come with a parent, grandparent, whoever, it doesn’t matter,” Frisell explained, “or you’ll meet somebody new. And then you’ll share a story with one another.

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

“And then I’m going to be doing pinholes with them. Basically we’ll make our own cameras out of like cardboard and tape. And then you’ll go and shoot around the area, and then come back and I’ll help you process [the photographs].”

Each workshop participant will end up with at least one finished piece that they’ll be able to pick up the following day once it’s had time to dry, and the pair plans on having plenty of materials on hand to allow for experimentation.

“I’m really excited to see what people talk about with one another,” Frisell noted.

Moreover, those who engage in any part of she and Scher’s “Portrait of US” project will have the chance to check out the trailer that is The Nomadic Photo Arc, a truly unique visitor to the street parking in front of Sulfur Studios.

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

Credit: Courtesy of Monica Jane Frisell

“Opening that door to the office and the dark room space is still, ‘Wow!’” Scher admitted.

Follow the progress of Frisell and Scher's time in Savannah via their Instagram takeover of @onviewresidency. You can also find them on most social media platforms under Nomadic Photo Ark.

Art off the Air is a companion piece to the radio program “Art on the Air” hosted by Rob Hessler and Gretchen Hilmers. The column can also be found at savannahnow.com/entertainment.

The show airs Wednesdays from 3-4pm on WRUU 107.5 FM Savannah and at WRUU.org.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The Nomadic Photo Ark is in Savannah seeking stories of meaning from the community