What Happens Inside the Dark Room?
Collodion wet plate was where photography originated. In this video workshop, photographers in present-day Bangkok have come together to take photos which undergo the historic Collodion wet plate process.
By Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC)
Dark Room (2020/2020) by Nico SepeBangkok Art and Culture Centre
Collodion wet plate, a precursor of film, is a mingling of art and science. A glass plate is submerged in a silver nitrate solution, sensitizing it to light. The coated plate acts like glue. And when the coated glass plate is exposed to light, a chemical reaction occurs, thus capturing an image.
This is where photography originated. From wet plate to dry plate, to the film we know now. And after film, digital.
A side view perspective of Sirikitiya Jensen (1908) by Nico SepeBangkok Art and Culture Centre
Sirikitiya Jensen, curator of Glass Plate Negatives: Stories That Transcend Time, spends one Saturday afternoon with photographers from the Bangkok-based group, Wet Plate and Alternative Processes. They spend the day taking photos which undergo the historic collodion wet plate process.
Glass Plate Photography Workshop by The CloudBangkok Art and Culture Centre
The Image Developing Process (2020) by Nico SepeBangkok Art and Culture Centre
The Collodion Process consists of multiple steps.
A chemical solution utilized to coat the glass plate takes up to three days to prepare. Once the wet plate is ready and placed within the camera, the subject of the photo must stay still for 8 seconds.
A front-facing portrait of Sirikitiya Jensen. (2020) by Nico SepeBangkok Art and Culture Centre
The camera's lid, which controls the shutter speed, is removed. And the photo is captured.
The Ministry of Culture, Thailand
The Fine Arts Department
The National Archives of Thailand
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC)
Sirivadhanabhakdi Foundation
Thai Beverage PLC
The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand
The Photographic Arts Foundation
Wet Plate and Alternative Process Thailand
