CPB x Photoworks Darkroom Residency (UK and India)

The CPB Community Darkroom is a first-of-its-kind space in the South of India that focuses on research and teaching of historical photography processes. The Darkroom offers low-cost film and allied development services to the analogue community in India. The space is equipped with all the things that one would need to further artistic practice – cameras of all formats, enlargers, printers for negatives, purified water supply, chemicals of all types and a dynamic team who are happy to help.

This call is open to photographers and artists working with historical photographic practices that include but are not limited to wcyanotype, salted paper, van dyke brown, gum arabic, gum oil, et and dry plate collodion, silver gelatin processes, film photography and variants, and other technology-based interventions.

The project outcome is a residency showcase that will be presented in Chennai and UK for which residents are required to create two sets of exhibition prints for display. At the end of the respective showcases, the exhibition prints may be retained by organisers for an agreed period of time for future exhibitions and selected works as relevant may be donated for internal collections and displays. Other works may be retained by the artists after the end of the residency.

What the Residency Includes?

• Honorarium of INR 1,00,000 // GBP 1000.
• Flight Tickets and Visa Fees for UK Artists to arrive in Chennai.
• Online and physical check-in meeting with Photoworks and Chennai Photo Biennale Edition teams.
• Accommodation in a private bedroom in Chennai for each of the UK artists for the residency period.
• A per diem of INR  50,000/GBP 500 per artist for all three artists for the 45 days in Chennai to cover meals/local transport.
• A modest production allowance is available to residents to procure watercolour paper/film/darkroom paper or any other specialised materials that are needed to execute the residency project and final exhibitions. Such expenses should be discussed and pre-approved by the organisers during the residency.

Who can apply?

• UK-based applicants must have a valid passport. Applicants can be of any nationality.
• Chennai-based applicants must be local residents.
• Artists should be able to demonstrate experience of working with analogue photography in a darkroom/similar environment.

Requirements

• Name, full contact details, website/instagram, web links to related content press/features
• Why you would like to take part in this darkroom based residency in India with CPB X Photoworks, and brief overview of past residency experience (max 350 words)
• Project Proposal (max 800 words) outlining detail on the subjects and techniques that the applicant is looking to focus on.
• Artist Bio (max 500 words) including the relevant experience with analogue photography.
• Current Resume
• Portfolio of a max 20 images showcasing examples of works/projects that are related to applicant’s analogue photography, with captions as relevant.

For more information, visit CPB Foundation.