Ben Ali Long's Negative Work

While most photographers are loathe to let a stray fingerprint near their negatives, Ben Ali Ong chooses to scratch, etch and generally distort his on purpose. The Sydney-based artist uses a range of techniques including etching tools, sandpaper and even his cat’s claws to bring a textual element to the medium and shed a new light on some of the world’s most recognisable landmarks. Born in Singapore to Chinese and Persian parents and later raised in Australia, Ong has a broad cultural heritage from which he explores the way different cultures embrace notions of mortality and consciousness.  

Dazed Digital: Would you describe yourself as a photographer or an artist?
Ben Ali Ong: I prefer the term photo-media artist. I like that when people see my work they’re not really sure if it’s a photograph or an etching.

DD: How do you go about creating these images...
Ben Ali Ong: I scratch the negatives with little etching tools and sanding blocks and sometimes I breathe on the lens when I’m shooting, or sometimes I do that later when I scan them in to make them foggy. I also use paint and water to create semi-opaque splatters on the negative before I scan them. Layering tracing paper gives them a softer texture and a glowing effect.

DD: That could all be done with Photoshop couldn’t it?
Ben Ali Ong: I guess I could use a soft-filter but I like to use different things in post-production. I try to do as much hands on stuff as possible even if I do output them digitally. I just enjoy that part of the process – trying a bunch of different things.I probably shouldn’t say it but some of the best things have been flukes.

DD: Who have been your biggest influences?
Ben Ali Ong: There are only two of three photographers that really influenced me and they all use the lo-fi aspects of film with an emphasis on the grain and blurring. They’re the things I use to make the picture look as if it could have been painted and give the work a textural aspect.