charlottetown group aims to revive film photography with community darkroom
2 minute read
vanessa tignanelli, left, and phil mercier, board members of the charlottetown darkroom co-operative, are working to bring a community darkroom back to p.e.i. where photographers of all experience levels can learn and develop film.
vivian ulinwa
/
the guardian
a group of photographers are working to bring a community darkroom back to p.e.i. where photographers of all experience levels can develop film and learn analog photography.
the charlottetown darkroom co-operative is raising $7,500 to finish renovating its space in downtown charlottetown before opening it to members. the money will help pay for plumbing, ventilation, light-proofing and specialized equipment needed to safely develop film.
board member phil mercier said while many island photographers still shoot on film, they currently have to send it away to be processed. he said a survey was put out to the film community and got great feedback.
“people were excited. they said that they wanted a space in p.e.i. where they can come and work on their film.”
about 70 people responded to the survey, far more than the group expected. the co-operative currently has about eight founding members and hopes membership will eventually grow to between 20 and 25 people.
phil mercier, board member of the charlottetown darkroom co-operative, says that while many island photographers still shoot on film, they currently have to send it away to be processed.
vivian ulinwa
/
the guardian
a darkroom is a completely light-proof room used to develop traditional photographic film. because undeveloped film is extremely sensitive to light, even a small amount of exposure can ruin an entire roll.
once the space is completed, it will operate as a membership-based co-operative. members will be able to use the darkroom to develop their own film and create prints. there will also be access to workshops teaching everything from using a film camera to developing and making finished prints.
“we’re hoping that if you came in here on a random evening, there’ll be members in here developing film, working on prints, talking about photography. we’re hoping to attract both professionals and people that have no experience at all with film photography.”
darkroom renaissance
vanessa tignanelli, also a board member, said many of the terms photographers use today, such as shutter speed and iso, come directly from film photography.
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she said there has been a renaissance of darkrooms recently.
“across canada, there’s darkrooms popping up all over now, and so we’ve actually been working with some darkrooms in other provinces that are trying to do the same thing,” she said.
“there is a big, i don’t know, like interest in making sure we don’t lose those tangible forms of art while technology keeps evolving.”
the darkroom will be located inside the arts guild building in charlottetown, where volunteers are currently renovating the space.
vanessa tignanelli, board member of the charlottetown darkroom co-operative, said there have been a renaissance of darkrooms across canada recently.
vivian ulinwa
/
the guardian
many photographers have already donated equipment, including enlargers used to project film negatives onto photographic paper. however, the co-operative is still searching for several specialized pieces.
one of the items at the top of its wish list is a revolving darkroom door, designed to let people enter and leave without exposing the room to outside light.
“we’re really hoping someone’s got one in a basement or a barn,” mercier said. “if someone has one, get in touch with us. we’d love to talk to them.”
as of late june, the fundraising campaign had raised just under $2,000 so far toward its $7,500 goal.
tignanelli said arts grants can often help support future workshops and community programming, but they generally do not cover construction costs needed to make the space functional.
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vivian ulinwa is a reporter for the guardian in prince edward island. she can be reached at vulinwa@postmedia.com and followed on x @vivian_ulinwa.
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