I feel so privileged to be mentioned in Volume 4 of ‘North’ as part of Jo Garrett’s wonderful interview on the darkroom.
I love the way that Jo talks about the magic of the darkroom, the physical interactions between chemistry and light, it is alchemy and I adore it. I think it is so easy to disassociate the physicality of making work from the final outcome which often ends up, framed and pristine, on a white wall.
When I’m working in the darkroom with Jo, I can relax. We often discuss the crossovers and co-dependencies of printmaking and photography. How each process informs, shapes and directs the evolution of the other, while still remaining very separate artforms.
For me, the darkroom is a far cry from the busy printmaking studio the I ‘live’ in. I am always snatching time between groups of students, artists, and academics to make my own work. In the darkroom, I can be anonymous, which is incredibly liberating. I love working in the dark and I often feel as if we are co-conspirators rather than collaborating artists. For the next part of our project, we are emerging to the light and bringing the experimental darkroom to the printmaking studio.
Working in the experimental darkroom has had a strong influence on my printmaking. I think that is obvious through my most recent screen and lithographic prints.
Jo Garett and I are working on a collaborative project, which we hope to be revealing more information on soon.
Check out some of our previous collaborations here and for regular updates on Jo’s experimental darkroom projects follow her on Instagram.