The gallery before REALITY CHECK

The NewBridge Project have recently secured a site in Gateshead that will be the home of the Collective Studio and a gallery. Located on High Street, it used to be Poundland and prior to that was Woolworths. Needless to say that it is not set up as gallery and studios and requires a total revamp and rebuild in order for it to be fit for purpose. Since getting the keys to the premises a few weeks ago, Dean from TILT Workshop has been working all out to get the space up and running and ready for the opening today. He has had a tremendous amount to do, ranging from plumbing the toilets to building the studios. The gallery is just part of the building. On Wednesday and Thursday we did the last coats of paint, cleaning etc

and here is the gallery before we installed the show:

  

Come tonight to see what it is like now! 

16mm film workshop with Hands On Film Lab

On Tuesday I participated in a 16mm film workshop with Hands On Film Lab, organised as part of the NewBridge graduate scheme.

In the morning we were shown the 16mm film camera and were taught how to use it. Then we were given some time to go into Newcastle and shoot some footage. We experimented filming at different speeds (the number of frames per second), and tried double exposing whereby we filmed for a set period of time, then wound our footage back to the point we just started the filming from. We then filmed another scene. When developed and played, there will be two layers to the film.

In the afternoon we talked through the developing process and in the daylight we had a go at loading a test film into the developing tank. It is a fiddly job in broad daylight, let alone in the pitch black! We headed into the darkroom to mix all the chemistry. Leah loaded the film into the tank (in the dark), and we began developing the film.

 The process is as follows:

1. Rinse - fill the tank with water and pour out

2. Develop - Pour the developing solution into the tank and agitate for the first minute.The agitation helps eliminate adhesions in the film that will cause the film to not get developed in certain areas. After the first minute just give it a shake for 10
seconds every minute or so. Develop for 6 minutes. Pour out developer.

3. Stop - Pour the stop into the tank and agitate. This prevents the film from developing any more. Pour out the stop.

4. Fix - Pour the fixer solution into the tank, and give the tank a shake or two every minute. Pour out the fix after 4 minutes.

5. Give the tank a final rinse with water and pour out the water.

6. Photoflo (optional) - Pour a photoflo into the tank in order to reduce water spots. Pour out the photoflo.

7. Remove the film from the tank and untangle it.

8. Hang the film to dry

Following this procedure develops the film as a negative, so dark areas become light and the whites of the image become dark.

We then left the film to dry overnight, and today we went to the Hands on Film Lab to view our film. To say it was a first attempt, I was pretty impressed by what we had produced, and would like to do more in the future.

Hands on Film is a female run and facilitated film-lab in Newcastle Upon Tyne, dedicated to the transmission of knowledge in photochemical film practice – filming, developing, processing and editing. The Lab also offers a low-cost or subsidised entry to the medium for those who might for educational, geographic or socio-economic reasons find this difficult. Photochemical film is a vibrant and exciting medium with unique opportunities for artist projects in moving image.

Hands On Film create a space of engagement via hand-processing techniques and photo-chemical experimentation. Small scale, artisanal production facilities offer a personal and reflexive approach to celluloid, and there is an ethos of skill-sharing through self and peer led education.

Practice makes Practice at Newbridge

Tonight I joined the other graduates who have been selected for the graduate programme at NewBridge Projects and we were taken through what the graduate programme has in store. 

In addition to my studio at NewBridge, one of the benefits of the programme is that I will be supported by an artist mentor with whom I will meet once a month. I met my mentor, Luke, who is a studio holder at NewBridge and runs the Left Leg Gallery.

One of our roles within NewBridge is to help form the Practice makes Practice programme, and so we spent the second half of the session discussing ideas about what this programme could include.

Practice makes Practice is an artist development programme run by artists for artists, initiated by The NewBridge Project.

Practice makes Practice focuses on developing artistic talent and equipping artists with the necessary skills to manage their practice, bridging the gap between art school, studio practice, the gallery and beyond.

Practice makes Practice is a regular programme of events, workshops, opportunities, talks, field-trips, exchanges and mentoring, creating a forum for shared learning, critical conversation, space for networks to cultivate and alternative models of practice to develop.

Practice makes Practice is open to all through a membership scheme. Creating a supportive cohort of artists to shape the programme ensuring it develops in response to the needs and interests of its members.

We have plenty of ideas, so its sure to be an exciting and eventful 12 months.