Last week was the first time that Brianna Toomer was back in Alaska after eight years.
Born and raised in Anchorage, Toomer is back to present “Memories, Entre Then and Now,” which is on display at Akela Space through May 31. The photo exhibit will feature polaroids, 35-millimeter and disposable film.
“I started playing with experimental editing with polaroids, and once I did that, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, I think I have something different,’” she said. “Even some of my friends [in Anchorage] said, ‘I remember you used to run around with a polaroid camera.’”
Toomer — a multidisciplinary artist, went to school in San Francisco — where she earned her degree in womenswear design from the Academy of Art before studying at Studio Berçot in Paris. A self-described “wearer of many hats,” Toomer is trained in fashion — and says that making clothes is what she loves to do most.
“Being a tailor, all the runway shows and the campaign ads and everything fits the model perfectly — there’s one of me or a stylist behind making sure that it fits perfectly,” Toomer said.
One of her “hats” includes RAAGGGEEEE, Toomer’s own womenswear line that she says is “made by a tomboy from Alaska out of her apartment in Paris.” Her pieces mix an array of art forms that she loves, including graffiti and baguette handbags made from Levi’s jeans. Toomer says it’s “shit your boyfriend wants to steal.”
Toomer says that modeling came organically from being in the fashion world. She modeled for Carhartt Work in Progress — the brand’s streetwear line — and recently was part of Vivienne Westwood’s newest bridal campaign, shot on the streets of Paris featuring Toomer in a couture “Bird of Paradise” dress.
“That whole shoot was an absolute dream, when the casting director told me about the project, I was like ‘I really want this one,’” she said.
Toomer’s exploratory photography editing allows her to play with the positive and negative of photos. She has success digitally scanning her images: which allows her to make anywhere from four to 50 images with one polaroid. With polaroid film being so expensive, she says she’s “very into” taking the polaroid apart to the best of her ability and using them as much as possible.
“I still do a bit of graffiti as well,” Toomer said. “I started using spray paint in with the polaroids, to both play with actual photos in there, and I did emulsion lifts sometime — so I [took] the photo completely out. And then I was like, ‘Well now I have these blank, clear polaroid frames, let’s make abstracts with spray paint with them.’”
“Memories, Entre Then and Now” will feature photographic pieces from the last decade or so of Toomer’s life — from her early Anchorage days to time in San Francisco, and her current life in Paris.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.