Introduction to sustainable foraging & seaweed film developer workshop

An environmentally conscious and sustainable workshop exploring the use of local, natural materials with photographic processes. Gain an understanding of how to forage in a safe and kind way, environmentally sustainable photographic processes and the impact that creative processes have on the environment. This workshop is for adults and is suitable for people with previous photography and darkroom experience.

Breakdown of the workshop: 10am — Introduction to Bladderwrack seaweed developer and sustainable photographic processes. 10.30am—Walk to Margate beach to identify bladderwrack seaweed 11am—Demonstrate how to prepare seaweed for developing. 11.15am—Making a developer with seaweed, vitamin c and soda crystals. 11.30am—1 hour developing time with agitation every two minutes. 12.30pm—Wash, Fix, and wash film again Film is then left to dry until 1pm or later.

Materials provided: —Vitamin C Pure —Dri Park Soda Crystals —Fixer

Materials you need to bring: —A pre-shot film (HP5 / 400 ISO black and white) —Something to carry your negatives home in

About the tutor: Melanie King is a working class artist and curator, originally from Manchester, UK. Melanie is now based in Ramsgate, Kent, UK and is a studio resident at The Margate School. She is co-Director of super/collider, Lumen Studios, Thanet Alt Photo and founder of London Alt Photo.

She is currently Artist In Residence at the School of Metallurgy and Materials at The University of Birmingham.

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. In June 2022, Melanie will present a solo exhibition at Photofusion, London focused on sustainable uses of precious metals. 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.