SEATTLE — In the age of selfies and digital filters, an invention at Equinox Studios in the Georgetown neighborhood is shaking things up: an analog photo booth.
"It’s giant box that looks like a camera, where the film is a person behind the camera really quickly drawing the people,” said artist Anne Livingston. "I think it's so fun."
She’s one of the artists who work in shifts behind the lens, rapidly creating portraits for whoever sits in front of the large “Equiflex” box.
John Kirschenbaum, one of the resident artists at Equinox Studios, built the box in 2022 and based the design on a real Rolleiflex camera.
"It’s a type of camera where you look through a lens to view, but the pictures are taken through another lens,” Kirschenbaum said. "It turned out to be a ball."
Visitors are instructed to crank a handle on the side of the box three times and then sit in front of the lens to pose. Inside the box, the artist has only 60 seconds to draw the portrait. When the camera's flash activates, the picture is delivered through a side slot, photo booth-style.
“Some people are like, 'How does this work?' They think there's some kind of weird film going on back there,” Livingston said, laughing.
The best part? Equiflex is free for whoever wants to pose.
"For me, art is a gift I like to give to other people,” Livingston said. "I feel like it's kind of a visual medicine that you can share with other people."
The box most recently made an appearance at the August “Very Out In The Open House” event.
“This is only an example of the kind of creativity here,” Kirschenbaum said.
Equinox Studios transformed nearly 100,000 square feet of old warehouse space into an enclave for more than 175 artists working in virtually every medium.
For her part, Livingston said art is a way to help reflect truth.
"I think there is a possibility of showing somebody their essence in a way that you just can't get with a selfie,” she said.
The Equiflex isn’t at every Equinox Studios event, but the next “Very Out In The Open House” is scheduled for December 2023. The space is also part of the monthly Georgetown Art Attack the second Saturday of every month.
Equinox Studios is located at 6555 5th Ave South in Seattle.
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