Baltic Analog Lab invites to an eco-processing workshop for 16mm film with Etienne Caire from France.

The aim of this workshop is to learn ways of making an entirely eco-friendly developer without buying any product ( no baking soda, or vitamin C) by brewing your own developer using only plants.

From the first morning of the workshop we’ll go in the streets of Riga, around Baltic Analog Lab, collecting a few kilograms of any plants we’ll find on our way. During the few hours of « cooking » needed to turn the plants into a b&w developer, workshop’s attendants will use a 16mm Bolex camera, loaded with b&w negative film in order to shoot  5 to 10 seconds of film. This length of film will be perfect for making an easy flat-print copy of the negative.

The workshop will be a pure experiment with several fails and several succeeds. If the first processing plant soup we make is giving good results then on the second day we’ll concentrate in producing positive images, using simple print technique like flat-print on positive b&w print stock.

If the time allows - we might try to tone the film with a soup of flowers or berries to get some colour tones on the black and white film.

We will also take the time to learn how to load a film loop on 16mm projector and play with them, trying to give a life to these film loops in a performative way using several 16mm film projectors.

Etienne Caire (France) is a filmmaker working with photo-chemical processes and live, expanded cinema projector performances, often under the pseudonym RioJim. He is particularly attracted to abstract animation, the pleasure of physically modifying images on the film via twisted and other chemical treatments frowned on by professional labs.

The material produced in the laboratory becomes a work of improvisation integrating all the parameters of projection. By means of prepared projectors, he applies severe treatment to the projector and plays with the film and the homemade optical sound on film to create a real visual music.

Involved in experimental film for 20 years, Etienne (aka Riojim) have been a member of the 102, a venue dedicated to experimental arts, as well as co-founder of one of Europe’s first artist-run film lab MTK in Grenoble.

Participation fee: 60 EUR

Participation is limited to 10 members

Registration by sending e-mail: balticanaloglab@gmail.com

Workshop will be held in English

Supported by Latvian Ministry of Culture, Rīgas Dome and Creative Europe’s project SPECTRAL