Mono Guild Article

Thought this article was semi interesting, it is strange thou that the story does not talk about the art in the show but instead about the difficulty in getting photographic materials, the groups purpose and technical control stuff. No discussion of the individual photographs at all. Sort of like going to a Impressionist exhibit and talking about the difficulty of purchasing oil paints and the techniques they used to apply the oils.


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Where silver remains the gold standard

Gilbert Bouchard
Freelance
Friday, February 22, 2008

FUSED BY SILVER

Showing at: McMullen Gallery, main entrance of the University of Alberta Hospital (8440 112th St.)
Until: April 13
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It's not easy for members of Edmonton's Monochrome Guild to stay true to old-school silver-based photography.

Once-simple tasks like buying film and traditional photographic paper are no longer easy in a world dominated by digital photography, says guild founder Robert Pohl.

"You have to do things like stockpile film because they just aren't making as much as they used to and some manufacturers have stopped altogether," he says. "Soon we'll be down to only a handful of choices. I personally keep a dedicated freezer full of film."

Everyone in the guild has to have their own darkroom or have access to one. And they need a deep passion for the hands-on process of developing film and printing images, given that they are eschewing the world of computer image-manipulation and laser-jet printouts.

"It's all about the magic of creativity that can be accomplished with your own two hands," says Pohl. "You have so much control over your prints and it gives you a real escape from all the technology, the phone calls, all the computer work you have to do every day to make a living."

The on-paper fruits of the guild's efforts are on display at the University of Alberta Hospital's McMullen Gallery in a wide-ranging exhibit of black and white, silver-based photographs called Fused by Silver. Featuring photographs by eight of the guild's members, the focus of this particular show (the second of three proposed guild exhibits) is to highlight the variety of work produced by the group.

More than just a means to promote their beloved silver-based photography, the guild also allows its members to have a venue where they can share photography tips and give each other esthetic feedback about their images, says Pohl.

This feedback is all that more important for this group, given how much trial-and-error learning is involved in working with film and paper prints.

"After a while, you stop seeing these issues as concerns. All you see is the high level of control you're getting over your images."

For retired U of A laboratory technologist Clive Figueiredo, the artistic outlet allows him to merge a love of chemistry with a fascination with visual arts.

"It's very exciting to work like this because it's such a dynamic process, in part because of the huge range of paper you can use and all the different effects they give you. No two images come out the same way."

Figueiredo's portion of the McMullen group show features images of historic buildings in Europe and New York City.

For Michael Chesworth, finding the guild last year was a total godsend, coming at a time when he was looking for a supportive group of fellow photographers eschewing digital image-making.

"I'm frustrated with all the automation in photography," he says. "I don't like being controlled by my technology."