The Dying Art Of The Photographic Darkroom - Video

[Rob MacKillop]

From The Guardian newspaper:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/video/2011/jan/14/photographing-death-darkroom-video

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Rob. I'd seen the images from this project before but never the video. This year I have promised myself that I will spend much more time in the darkroom. I miss it.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

But only when you are developing film...it would be weird to just sit in there in the dark! Maybe not?

 

[Pete Askew]

Don't be silly Rob, I wouldn't just sit there in the dark. I'd turn the safe lights on!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Might as well bring in a TV, while you're at it.

 

[Ivar Dahl-Larsen]

It has obviously influenced his mind, these fumes and chemicals Rob.

 

[Pete Askew]

It has made me vicious and vengeful!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

And cute. Don't forget the cuteness.

 

[Douglas McMann]

I've never developed my own film (not that old...) but in a previous life I worked as an Industrial Radiographer and developed thousands of 'graphs by hand, and used to love the glow of that little bulb through the red filter, gulping in heady lungfuls of Dev and Fix solution in the back of the mobile darkroom, learning the dark art of boiling the former because my exposure was way off...

 

[Pete Askew]

What did you use to X-ray, turbines blades, wheels?

 

[Douglas McMann]

Welded pipelines mostly Pete...was involved quite a bit on the UK National Gas network, and latterly offshore...

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting. I once had a centrifuge rotor imaged by a bunch at Heathrow that usually work on aircraft turbine blades. Lovely job they did and no cracks found!

 

[Douglas McMann]

But cracks are easy to find Pete....our job was also to ensure nothing untoward with the welding procedure, as imperfections could ultimately lead to fractures occurring...