Caffenol (Coffee) Film Developer

Sunday 15 January 2023 10am - 12.30pm

12 places available.

Participants will learn how to make a photographic developer from coffee for black and white photographic film.

During the workshop you’ll be taught how to make a caffenol-c (coffee, vitamin-c powder, soda crystals and salt) film and paper developer. You will be led through the process of developing film by artist Melanie King. This workshop is for adults and is suitable for people with previous photography and darkroom experience.

Breakdown of the workshop:

10am — Introduction to caffenol developer and sustainable photographic practice.

10.30am — Making a developer with coffee, vitamin c and soda crystals.

11am — Participants spool film while developer cools to 20 degrees centigrade.

11.30am - 12.30pm — Develop, Stop, Fix, Wash.

Film is then left to dry until 1pm or later.

Materials provided:

— Vitamin C Pure

— Dri Park Soda Crystals

— Coffee

— Fixer

Materials you need to bring:

—A pre-shot film (HP5 / 400 ISO black and white film

About the tutor:

Melanie King is a working class artist and curator, originally from Manchester, UK. Melanie is now based in Ramsgate, Kent, UK.

She is co-Director of super/collider, Lumen Studios, Thanet Alt Photo and founder of London Alt Photo.

Melanie is a PhD Candidate at the Royal College of Art (2015-2022).

She is Lecturer In Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University.

She is represented by the Land Art Agency. She has recently been commissioned by Signal Film and Media, the British Council, Space Studios London and ITV.

Melanie is interested in the relationship between the environment, photography and materiality.  Melanie intends to highlight the intimate connection between celestial objects (sun, moon, stars), photographic material and the natural world. Melanie is currently researching a number of sustainable photographic processes, to minimise the environmental impact of her artistic practice, informed by the Sustainable Darkroom movement.

Find out more about Melanie:

melaniek.co.uk