T59. Playing in the Darkroom: Printing & Interventions with Ergül Karagözoğlu

In this workshop, participants will approach darkroom printing as an active surface where material decisions and conceptual intent evolve together. Inspired by Surrealism, the Bauhaus, and abstract art, the session focuses on handmade negatives and experimental processes to shape the tonal, spatial, and structural organization of the image.Each participant will choose a short keyword or phrase to guide decisions around exposure, contrast, masking, borders, and layering. This approach ensures that technical choices are directly connected to a clearly defined concept. The workshop aims to produce a personal mini series of three to five finished prints.Participants will work hands on with a wide range of techniques, including cliché verre drawings on acetate, wax or oil translucency on tracing paper, text or stencil masks, and negative collage using layered film or acetate. The process also incorporates photograms and 35 mm chemigrams made with plant extracts, emphasizing the combination of multiple experimental methods within a single image.Further stages include multi layer registration using pin systems, solarization through controlled light flashes during development, and refinement with masking, dodging, burning, and chemigram inspired resist techniques. The overall goal is to build complex prints through successive layers, interventions, and controlled transformations.

Outline

1. Welcome and introduction
2. Darkroom setup, chemistry preparation, and overview of contact exposure logic under safelight
3. Demonstration of all techniques: handmade negatives, collage, photogram, chemigram, solarization, and masking strategies
4. Creation of handmade negatives with test strips and first contact proofs
5. Integration of photograms, solarization, and chemigram-inspired resist interventions
6. Multi-exposure, registered printing combining two or three layers
7. Refinement and production of a final personal mini-series, followed by group review and discussion

Participants must bring:

• Nothing mandatory. All core materials and tools will be provided.

Optional / recommended to bring:

• Old or scrap negatives (35 mm or 120) for negative collage or sandwich techniques (non precious strips only).
• Small flat objects for texture or photogram (lace, organza, leaves, thin threads, paper cutouts).
• A short word or phrase to work with (for example: “trace,” “body,” “memory”).
• A USB drive to take home scans (a flatbed scanner will be available).

Nice to have (totally optional):

• Pressed leaves or flowers, or meaningful scraps such as tickets or handwritten notes on thin paper.
• Personal acetate or transparency sheets with drawings or text.