A LEWIS-based artist has developed a system to print photos using plants, removing all chemicals in the process.
Five years ago, artist Jess Holdengarde realised the dangers and toxicity of the substances used in darkrooms and their effects on waterways.
For her work, she uses analogue cameras that normally require chemicals to develop the photos in a darkroom. Now, she is showcasing her creations at a new Edinburgh exhibition.
Using plants, she has aimed to reduce the amount of chemicals used to develop photos.
“I started doing research around what I could use, specifically in Scotland to create my own chemistry," Holdengarde said.
Her work, titled Glimmer, explores the use of plants and natural elements in photography.
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Based between the Isle of Lewis and Glasgow, the artist is native to South Africa.
After a residency in Switzerland, she started going foraging for different types of plants. She tested and refined recipes for plant-based development and low impact on Scotland’s nature.
For the exhibition, she "worked across mediums ... analogue photography, sound, moving image, writing or voice."
“I live between the Isle of Lewis and Glasgow.
“I've been working with heather to create a brew.
“Then I mix it with any sorbic acid and the vitamin C, which, when it activates with the silver that is in your photographic negative or your photographic paper, it creates an image.”
Indeed, some plants will add an “earthy tone” to the photo while others are “pure black and white”.
For the exhibition, she incorporated nettle in some of the prints, resulting in photographs with a green-yellow hue.
Depending on the season, the effect of plants will differ giving different tones.
“It really depends on what season you're working to become very seasonal. When I've worked with heather in the spring, it actually gives a very crisp black-and-white image.
“Then when I've been working with it in the autumn and winter, it gives this like earthy tone.”
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