HARVESTING PHENOLS
Plant extracts are everywhere—in what we drink, eat, apply, or discard. Some of these plants are rich in polyphenols, which not only benefit human health but can reduce silver salts. When combined with vitamin C, they become low-toxicity developers, capable of making images visible on film. This workshop is about learning to make those developers with what grows around us. We’ll use simple methods to extract phenolic compounds from local plants or waste material and combine them with ascorbate to create active, biodegradable working solutions. Each plant brings its own tone, density, and fingerprint.
We’ll cover:
What a black-and-white developer is made of
How to build one using low-toxicity and easy-to-find ingredients
How to strengthen it with plant extractions
How to load and process a roll of 16mm film in a 100’ LOMO tank
You will leave with sections of the processed film, a working recipe, and a slower way of thinking about image development that is tied to land, time, and what’s already at hand. These processes can be applied to still photographic images or to moving image material in any format.
INSTRUCTION: SIX HOURS over 2 Sessions
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND & WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD - FROM 7 PM - 10 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 over 2 classroom instruction sessions. Each participant will have the option / opportunity to film a self portrait of themselves on 16mm when they arrive during session. MONO will supply the camera, 16mm film stock and lighting studio. The portraits will be used to demonstrate the developers made in class and small sections of each developer will be passed out so that each person has a developed section for their notes. All camera equipment, film stock, chemistry, materials, course packet and safety equipment will be provided.
COURSE CAP: Limited to 12 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.