AIR Workshop
A Basic Experience in Photography
Workshop by Natascha Borowsky
During the early 19th century, as iron and silver based photographic processes were being tried, images were made by placing botanical specimens and delicate objects such as lace onto the chemically coated paper and exposing using sunlight.
Talbot, one of the very pioneers and inventors of photography, had originally called these images ‘photogenic drawings’.
In the 20th century dada or surrealist artists such as Man Ray and Christian Schad or currently Adam Fuss further investigate the artistic potential of the method.
This workshop will consist of two parts.
In the first part, there will be a brief introduction to how a large format studio camera works. The participants will get the chance to take one image each, allowing for a first encounter with a complete analogue dinosaur, related to the very early days of photographic pioneers. We will work with natural daylight only. The idea is to take simple portraits of each other, which later could be professionally processed and enlarged (according to individual decision – the cost has to be covered by the participant).
There will be a lunch brake of approximately one hour.
In the second part of the workshop, there will be time to experiment with the basic method of darkroom work.
There will be a basic darkroom with two enlargers (as we will not use sunlight), photographic paper for your experiments and chemicals to process the results on the spot. Please bring various small materials, fragments, artefacts, plastic or translucent
items, leaves, flowers, whatever you come across and whish to work with or share.
In order to match the size of the paper (8×10 inches), your material should be more or less according.
Bio
Natascha Borowsky is an artist based in Düsseldorf, Germany, currently working
in Malaysia for a three months period by invitation of the Goethe-Institute and the
Lost Generation Space in Kuala Lumpur.
A German Artist Residency Project collaboration with Goethe-Institut Malaysia
Date
20th Sep 2008
Venue
Lost Generation Art Space
