I'm pleased to share that I'll be speaking at Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams, the conference co-produced by Photoworks and the Photography Research Group at the University of Brighton, on Friday 2 October.
My talk, The Ecological Wetroom™: Anna Atkins, Climate-Adapted Cyanotype and Photography Beyond Extraction, introduces my practice-led PhD research, which reimagines the traditional and often toxic darkroom as a living ecological system. Combining climate-adapted cyanotype, DIY filtration, hydroponic plant systems and scientific collaboration, the project asks how analogue photography might become more accountable to water, chemistry and waste. I'll be sharing recent laboratory analysis carried out with scientists at TU Dublin, which demonstrates a 76% reduction in measurable pollutants in cyanotype washwater following filtration and plant activity. Presented through artworks, installations and public engagement, the project proposes ecological care — rather than sustainability — as a framework for photography's future during its bicentenary.
The conference runs from 9.30am to 6pm, with a programme of papers and panels responding to the festival theme. I'm in good company: other speakers include Annebella Pollen, Duncan Wooldridge, Holly Birtles, Diane Smyth, Zoe Childerley, Jermaine Francis and many more.
- When: Friday 2 October, my talk 12.25–12.40pm (conference 9.30am–6pm)
- Where: University of Brighton, 154 Edward Street, Brighton BN2 0JG (morning session)
- Tickets: £15 standard / £10 concession / £25 supporter / free for Photoworks Friends
- Booking: via Eventbrite