DEEPER INTO CAFFENOL
Caffenol is a well-loved alternative developer, but most recipes rely on instant coffee, a processed product that isn’t as sustainable as it seems. This workshop asks: what if we used what’s already been brewed? We’ll extract developer chemistry from used coffee grounds, reclaimed from cafés or kitchens, and build slow-working developers with washing soda and vitamin C. The process is quieter, softer, and better aligned with compostable, repeatable practice.
We’ll cover:
Why instant coffee isn’t the greenest choice
How to extract active compounds from spent grounds
How to build and tweak a film or paper developer
How to reuse or compost the remains
AND as a final step, we’ll turn the leftover paste into Muddy—a semi-solid developer that can be stored, transported, or traded. A small, dense block of image-making, made entirely from residue. You’ll leave with images, a recipe, and a practice that starts with your morning coffee and ends in the darkroom. These processes can be applied to still photographic images or to moving image material in any format. We'll conclude the class by filling a small linear processing machine with a filtered solution and develop 16MM film cleanly through the machine!
INSTRUCTION: SIX HOURS in 1 Session
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH - FROM 10 AM - 4 PM
LOCATION: MONO HQ 33 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn NY 5 min walk from 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, B, D, N, Q, R, & G trains.
INSTRUCTOR/S: Andrés Pardo of Curioso Lab, Uruguay
Andrés Pardo Piccone is an experimental filmmaker, editor, professor, and researcher based in Montevideo, Uruguay. With over 25 years of experience in film production and post-production, he has worked across documentary, fiction, and experimental cinema. He is the founder of CuriosoLab, a space for exploring sustainable photography and low-impact image-making rooted in everyday environments. His recent work focuses on historical photo processes, alternative chemistry, and the use of local or discarded materials in the film lab. He is the author of Back to Basics and A Guide to Ecological Photo-chemistry, and is currently researching Edward Bach solarization as a way to extract energy for energy-driven developers. His ongoing projects include a critical and philosophical investigation into image-making, sustainability, and the potential of analog practices to rethink our relationship with capitalism, technology, nature, and time.
INCLUDES: SIX HOURS in 1 classroom instruction session. Each participant will have the option to bring in a roll of already captured 35mm or 120 black and white film that we will develop in class and scan for you. AND/OR opportunity to film / document portions of the class on 16MM to late be developed in the solution. MONO will supply the Bolex camera, 16mm film stock and lighting studio. The 16MM will be used to demonstrate the developer with the deeper caffenol grinds solutiion.. All camera equipment, film stock, chemistry, materials, course packet and safety equipment will be provided. PLUS every participant of the workshop will receive 100’ of 16MM B/W film and 35MM still film for experimentation.
COURSE CAP: Limited to ONLY 8 participants
PRICE: $225 - 305 Sliding scale. In an effort to make the workshops more accessible to the community at large we have introduced a sliding scale option (below) All options are equal to one registration, and your selection will remain private.