Residency ‘Exchange of the Light’

13.06. > 22.06.

Residency

The London Alternative Photography Collective would like to invite 2 artists living in Portugal to join 6 of its members for a 10 days residency at XYZ Books. The residency will take place from the 13th-22nd June and will be located in Lisbon, Portugal. The artists will be expected to travel to the Lisbon for the duration of the residency. Dealine for applications is the 5th of April, and the registration is free.

Over the period of the residency, the group of 8 participants will develop approaches to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly photographic practice, specifically focusing on traditional and alternative forms of photographic printmaking.

Creating art with an environmental message isn’t new. Many artists have been tackling and exposing ecological issues for years, but what often falls by the way side is the impact of the creation and realization of the work itself. Within traditional photographic processes there are a few key aspects we would like to address. These includes chemicals, resin coated paper and water.

Chemicals:

Photographic chemicals can be harmful to the environment in several forms; the main issue is the disposal of used fixer - containing particles of silver. In some cases the chemicals will be sent for silver reclamation, however, in many DIY darkrooms, the chemicals are rarely treated and are disposed of directly into the sewers; polluting the waterways.

Paper:

Resin coated papers account for the bulk of photo papers in use today. They contain a resin (plastic) coating - these resins are all chemicals of petro chemical origin. Their use therefore encourages the use of petroleum products. Secondly, because of their intimate mix of plastic and paper in these products, they usually cannot be recycled adding further to the waste system.

Water:

Developing films and washing prints usually calls for a constant source of running water. A day of printing therefore requires the tap to be on all day. The water cannot be reused anywhere else in the darkroom process, as it is seen as contaminated. This results in litres and litres of water being used for a handful of prints.

We would like to hear from photographic based artists living in Portugal that are interested in exploring solutions for the environmental impact of traditional photographic practices. Participants will also be expected to present and share elements of their individual inquiry process and help with the realization of a public program of events to run over the duration of the residency.