It’s Anything but Black & White

Artist Bio

I am a photographer who investigates photography’s ability to be an emotional surrogate without the overt symbolism. I work with photography through found objects and mark making as a way of connecting histories and finding alternate stories. I take inspiration from the generative photography movement which started in Germany in 1968. 

Exhibition title and description

It’s Anything but Black & White is a series of monochromatic silver gelatin prints made over the last year. I have been an avid collector of bygone era photographic gear that was previously destined for landfill. I have been working with all sorts of black and white film, from 35mm rolls to 8X10” sheet film. I collected from around the world, including film that was made solely for use in WWII spy planes and early portraiture, dating back to early 1913. The film had been exposing in its packaging from the early 20th century. It has been sourced from flood damaged darkrooms, polluted cities and the quiet countryside. The film was then processed, without prior exposure by myself, in a vast array of chemical processes; some of the same era as the film and some new. 

When processing the film, I spent countless hours in total darkness. I was accompanied solely by the sounds of the rocking trays, largely reminiscent of clocks from my childhood. The tune of the trays turned into somewhat of a lullaby. My eyes tried so hard to focus on anything that it could. My mind was so paranoid of the dark that it would conjure up anything to try and change my reality. I would notice what would seem like a light leak in the darkroom, yet, when I tried to focus on it, it would disappear. My mind would race; thinking about love, loss, relationships, time and impermanence. Then the timer would sound, the light would turn on, I would see the film in front of me and I would wish that life was that black and white. 

In memory of Liz.

Onwards Gallery
Saturday 20 August. 6-9pm.
Sun 21–Thurs 25 August. 11am-4pm.