Residency 

As the days draw shorter, CONTACT Darkroom opens up its winter residency. A resource-based programme offering artists and photographers 24-hour-a-day access to fully equipped colour and black-and-white darkrooms, a dedicated workshop room, and an open gallery. Designed for both emerging and established photographers, the residency supports the production of new or existing works in a creative, experimental and community environment. 

Based in the market town of Totnes, Devon, the residency sits within a landscape of the River Dart, running from the upper moorlands of Dartmoor to the Atlantic coast, offering a diverse and compelling environment for reflection and experimentation. Artists are encouraged to respond with the season changes and draw inspiration from the surrounding area, whether working on existing projects, testing out new ideas and processes or developing work that responds directly to place. 

The winters in South Devon can be magical. The rivers are full, the leaves have fallen, and there may even be snow on the moorlands. It’s a time for reflection, getting lost in the process and practice of photography and where the alchemy of the darkroom comes alive. But remember a coat.

At the end of the residency, artists are invited but not expected to share their work in a small exhibition, talk or workshop. Optional programmes, such as darkroom workshops, guided walks, excursions, and local gallery visits, can be arranged on request.

Description of Organisation:

CONTACT darkroom is a Not-for-Profit art centre and photographic darkroom in Totnes, Devon, UK, specialising in black & white and colour darkroom printing and experimentation. Housed in a repurposed abattoir, Contact has transformed an underutilised building into a do-it-yourself darkroom, workshop and gallery.

Born out of a desire to create the resources we felt were missing, Contact Darkroom supports knowledge-sharing and experimentation across the photographic and visual medium, challenging the idea that access to creative spaces and opportunities requires relocating from rural areas to big cities

Images in and around Contact Darkroom.