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It seems that in the digital age many photographers still pine for the days past when the darkroom was familiar territory. While older photographers may have fond memories, today they share their darkroom love with new-comers, mainly younger and digitally native photographers. To honour the past and to celebrate the future of the darkroom we worked with the Director of Maud Creative Gallery Irena Prikryl recently to host a series of events and workshops to recognise analogue photography in contemporary photographic practice.

On November 8 a group of photographers responded to the call to attend an event at the gallery called DARK LOVE: Stories of the Darkroom. They were asked to come along with something special about the darkroom and tell a story associated with it. On arrival at the gallery their photographs were prepared and then hung on the wall.  The presentations were timed at around 5 minutes and were quite fascinating.

Part of the Dark Love exhibition at Maud Gallery

What follows is a photo of the attendee, their print and a brief comment about their stories …

Alex Buckingham

Alex spoke about working with Liquid Light emulsions

Victoria Cooper

Victoria Cooper discussed the making of this pinhole biscuit tin photo and the challenges of printing the 6x18cm negative

Thomas Oliver

Thomas spoke about his current academic research in the multiple printing of a single negative.

Tammy Forward

Tammy discussed the making of a studio portrait.

Sandy Barrie

Sandy spoke of the dangers of shooting large format in busy Sydney traffic.

Robyn Hills

Robyn told the story of the making of this award winning print – from its origins from a point-n-shoot camera to darkroom high contrast printing ‘Tipp-ex” and a little bit of marker pen…  A great animated performance….

Rob Crapnell

Rob discussed his interest in the darkroom and work with a 6×7 Pentax documenting how old heritage buildings in Brisbane are being cramped by the skyscraper…

Peter Pescell

Peter discussed his use of an ‘ancient’ bellows camera and reloaded 120 aerial film on spools to make this image… the old and the outdated still have currency in analogue…

Michael Stephenson

Michael discussed his modern printing of a series of lantern slides that represented a panorama of Brisbane made in the 1870s(?) by the photographer a Mr Wilson(?).

Louis Lim

Louis spoke of a camera obscura that he made in a children’s hospital as part of an artist in residence. He described the view of Vulture Street in Brisbane on the ceiling of the room and how children visiting the space were enthralled by the images on the ceiling and walls…

Jeff Ryan

Jeff discussed the taking of this photograph and its connection personal connection with he and his brother’s lives. The photo was made relatively recently at a place where Jeff and his brother played as kids 40 years earlier.

Irena Prikryl

Irena’s story related to buying her first serious camera – a Hasselblad and then taking some photos in Grand Central Station in New York. The camera was balanced on a railing and the shutter speed was long…  The photo was recently printed in a Fine Art Print workshop at Maud with Doug+Vicky.

Chris Bowes

Chris Bowes was unable to attend but had come by earlier to install his personal investigation of self and sweat by placing un-exposed B&W photopaper against his body. The prints are then process yield a ‘Chemigram’.  Chris will present a floortalk at the gallery. Check the Dark Love page for details…

David Symons

David discussed that the origins of his 1980s photographic series was a response to the work and photobooks of David Hamilton. Hamilton was well known for his ‘soft-porn’ photos of young girls. Symons spoke about how he appropriated Hamilton’s photos by double printing copy negatives through a cracked mud image. Texts from Hamilton’s book were adapted by Symons using a redactive process to reveal an alternative story….

Doug Spowart

I commented about how a recent re-connection with pinhole photography during the Pinhole workshop last weekend had helped to resolve a need for a new project that Vicky and I will be working on next year. I passed around an 8″x10″ film pinhole negative that had revived my interest and love of the darkroom.  PHOTO: Victoria Cooper.

Edwin Wecker

Edwin discussed his experiences with film photography whilst on tour to India with his friend Russell Shakespeare.

Gail Hoger-Neuman

Gail showed some photographs from her early 1990s exhibition ‘Hollywood Stills’ that was shown at Imagery Gallery.

Sandy Barrie demonstrates ancient portable daylight enlargers – the oldest was made before 1859.

Conversations continued after the presentations

The DARK LOVE works were enjoyed and discussed

CHRIS BOWES FLOORTALK  – 26 November – details to be confirmed

A FINE ART PRINTING WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE ON – Postponed to 2017

A CYANOTYPE WORKSHOP – Details HERE

AND THE FRONT GALLERY WILL BE CONVERTED INTO A CAMERA OBSCURA on November 26 (to be confirmed)

Festival of the Darkroom logo

All portrait photographs and gallery documentations unless credited otherwise ©2016 Doug Spowart

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