Join a three day summer school with The Sustainable Darkroom, taking over the garden and classrooms at Forgan Arts Centre.
Expect an immersive long weekend programme of campfires, low-toxicity photographic and film-making techniques, situated making, composting chemistries and communal meals.
Designed for artists and makers who are exploring ecological approaches to photography, the programme will include space to refine your knowledge and experiment, with support from artists Hannah Fletcher and Edd Carr. And there will be lots of opportunities to connect with like-minded practitioners throughout the days and over meals.
The cost of the course includes a cooked vegan lunch, provided daily by a local social enterprise, and evening meals of either a simple soup around the campfire or a short walk to the local pub for food.
Programme
| Thurs | 3-5pm | Arrivals |
| 5-6.30pm | Introductions, tour of the grounds and image making | |
| 6.30pm onwards | Reading group around campfire with home made veggie soup and bread. + Preparations for waste based semi-solid developer. |
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| Fri | 10-1pm | Film developing workshop using materials from the grounds at Forgan Arts Centre including making an iron based developer and plant based developers. |
| 1-2pm | Lunch | |
| 2-6pm | Free time to use the darkroom space and facilities at FAC to work on projects with support from Sustainable Darkroom. You could also use this time to develop your own films, following on from the knowledge learnt in the morning workshop. | |
| EVENING | Optional walk to the local pub for dinner (not covered in ticket price) | |
| Sat | 10-1pm | Experimental moving image workshop / animation – collective working – e.g. cyanotype on 16mm. Incorporating natural dyes made from the garden. |
| 1-2pm | Lunch | |
| 2-5pm | Experimental moving image workshop continued with the possibility to work on top of some footage with chemigrams and phytograms, as well as splice archival footage for projection. One or two 16mm cameras will also be on hand for people to examine. | |
| 6.30pm onwards | Screening of collective films made during the day. Shared soup, drinks, campfire and final night celebrations. | |
| Sun | 10.30 – 1pm | Working with the waste workshop: making a semi-solid developer from our campfire ashes. Covering how to work with this developer across a range of photographic materials and surfaces such as chemigrams, positive paper from pinholes and on film. |
| 1-2pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | Waste degradation and composting and deconstruction of the darkroom. | |
| 4pm onwards | Departures |
Accommodation
If you are visiting us for the summer school, you have the option to camp on the grounds at Forgan Arts Centre, against a backdrop of beautiful gardens and woodlands, or to stay locally.
If you are camping on site, you will have access to simple continental breakfast provisions which are included in the £8 per night camping fee. There will be a couple of indoor spaces which are open to both those camping and those staying off-site, to relax, sit on a comfy chair and have a cup of tea. Make sure to book camping when you book your place – only 5 camping spots available.
We have a few recommendations for local accommodation in Newport-on-Tay, or in Tayport or Dundee which are both a short cycle or bus ride away:
- The Larick Community Campsite, Tayport
- The Old Boathouse, Newport-on-Tay
- The Garden Rooms, Newport-on-Tay
- Four Points Flex Hotel, Dundee
Travel
We ask attendees to use low carbon methods of transport wherever possible and accessible.
Forgan Arts Centre can be reached via two bus services: Moffat & Williamson 77 and Stagecoach 99 (which requires a short walk), which can be caught at Dundee, St Andrews and Leuchars. Leuchars and Dundee are the closest train stations, both can be reached through direct trains from London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Our local coach services include Ember (which can take bikes), Megabus and Citylink. There are road-free and quiet cycle routes from Dundee and nearby villages, and bikes can be stored securely during your stay. We have four parking spaces at Forgan Arts Centre for Blue Badge Holders. Other drivers we ask to park at Waterstone Crook Car Park (a 2 min walk from the centre), which also has electric car charging points.
Upcoming Dates
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16Jul5:00 PM-4:00 PM
Would you like discounts on classes? Register as a subscriber to get 10% off class costs and other benefits.
If travelling to the Centre by car, please park at Waterstone Crook car park. Parking at the centre is reserved for disabled blue badge holders and those with limited mobility only. Find out how to get to Forgan Arts Centre here.
Please read our Terms & Conditions. If you have any questions or access requirements, please contact us. We’d be pleased to help.