ALCHEMIC PROCESS
As a young photographer, I became enchanted by the alchemic process. Several factors set me on this journey. I began by manually shaping light and learning to master the developing process in the darkroom from the age of 9. My fascination with the analogue process deepened. The transformations that would happen, when stirring the cauldron with the alchemic use of chemicals, magically appeared to secede the traditional scientific approaches of photo-chemistry. The unintentional, one-off discoveries would conjure up unique perceptions. During my apprenticeship days I became increasingly uninspired producing several hundred prints that were exactly the same. My growing interest remained focused on the amazement and possibilities of inexplicable, almost magical changes that I could make happen while alone in the darkroom.
Polaroid film became my passion. I soon discovered that many varieties of this wondrous product could deliver an other-worldly quality to a photographic image. In the early 1980s, the wall of my London studio became an ever-changing shrine to Polaroid images. It was my great fortune to acquire a Polaroid machine that could copy regular reversal film that enhanced the depth of the image in a particular way. Inspired by these discoveries, I reentered the darkroom and began experimenting with a variety of toners, split toning and unusual chemical combinations. I proceeded to explore further with positive and negative film stocks and photo-sensitive emulsions. In conjunction with examining the process of using light to copy from negatives to positives and increasing the technical specifications as a manner of enhancement, in order to draw more out of feelings behind the original subject capture process.
My investigation gained speed. The search was on for the magic beyond the subject, refusing to accept the one-dimensional perspective. The object of my obsession was to capture and realize the deeper and more illusive essence of the subject. I was inspired to illuminate respect for serendipity, and the perfect imperfections, which are often reflected in the mirror of the natural world. My quest for a truth behind the feeling that a finished photograph can emit a strong emotional charge is portrayed in this collection.
The processes and photographic materials that enabled this creative process are now lost to time. These are original works of art that cannot be replicated.