Via: Way of the Streets, A Photo Exhibition

About the Artist

It is all about the story, the story behind the image that is, which each viewer can interpret as they may. That is what matters to Jacob Sammut, be it the streets, a portrait, or a piece of fine art, what comes across is a story that has to be told. Jake tends to work predominantly in analogue format, shooting mostly black and white film, a medium he believes to be more honest and real. He then proceeds to print the images in a darkroom by hand, a process forgotten by many, which gives unique results every time a print is made.

Quick Intro

My name is Jacob Sammut, and I am a photographer living in Malta, specialising in fine-art and documentary photography.

2014 was the start of a project I am incredibly passionate about, which I would like to share. 'Via: Way of the streets', photo documentation of the streets of our time.

I have always been drawn to the different characteristics that humans bring to everyday life, especially to the streets you and I walk through every day, without considering the beauty of things of interest around us.

All the work was shot on 35mm or 120 films, developed and handprinted by myself in a dark room, making each print unique, just like the images themselves. Moments in time that will never be precisely the same again.

For the final step to make this exhibition a reality, I am currently seeking funding to support the final preparations and the exhibition's launch. Please read all the details below and leave whichever donation you feel is adequate.

The Project

VIA: The way through which one passes. The streets we all walk at some point, walkthrough, drive-through or even stop to converse in. Every day, millions of people are walking or partaking in an activity, small as it may be, on a street. It is where the most minor and most significant events in history happen. It is through the streets that we can see our history evolve. The streets offer detailed information regarding the social and economic status of the place in which the photographs are captured.

The pictures presented in this exhibition document the human element in the streets, describing life to date. It stands not only to teach people today what our lives are like but also to stand as a tool to educate those who get to see the photos in the years to come. The small selection of images used in this first edition of ‘VIA’ has been chosen from a vast archive of work that I started working on in 2014. The photographs are to be treated as documents to be preserved and archived for future generations to see. They were shot using 35mm or 120 medium-format, black and white film, which were then developed and hand-printed on fibre based paper in the darkroom.

The Approach

All photographs were taken whilst working on the streets of various countries visited, from Malta to Italy, Scotland, Turkey and Hungary, using 35mm and Medium format analogue film. No poses, no warnings, just the raw vibe of what was happening at the time of the images. That is the story I wanted to tell. What is seen at that split second, and not an artificial pretence of what a subject may conjure whilst looking at the camera. All rolls of film were developed and finally printed by hand on silver-gelatin fibre-based paper in a dark room.

Funding

The funding will cover the expenses to produce said work such as chemicals, films, paper, framing,( 40 pieces ) the art gallery, and all the preparations for the event launch as well as a book run.

Whereas the date of the Exhibition is not yet confirmed due to delays we had because of covid, as well as the need to finalise the funding so that I may finalise the work. I am sure that once the funding comes through I will be able to have a viable date for exhibiting. The venue options are many, however, it is only after the total of raised funds that I will be able to confirm the location due to the available exhibiting slots the galleries will have at the time.