Gum bichromate is one of the oldest photographic techniques, much older than the gellatine silver print most of us know. It was never meant to be a technique for the masses; quite to the contrary, it was invented purely as a technique for the artists. In the age of pass digital photography, even more mechanical than the early silver based processes, it once again provides a welcome alternative and means of artistic expression as well as an alternative to the nauseating digital ‘perfection’.

Gumprints are unique as it is impossible to make two identical prints, which increases their value for collectors. At the same time the amount of time and work necessary to make a gumprint enable the artist to create an emotional relationship ith his work which is so different than the mechanical production of digital photos.

Historical, especially pictorial, techniques gain new popularity nowadays, in the times of immediate digital photography due to their ability to offer a very phisical, intimate relationship with the photographer’s own work.

The workshop is a proposition for all photographers looking for something different than the mechanical repetitiveness of technically correct digital photos void of all emotions who want their work to reflect their passion and involvement.

During the three day workshop we will;

• learn to prepare paper for work in the technique,
• introduce all the chemistry necessary for the process,
• present the history of the technique along with its greatest users,
• make our own gumprints,
• learn the techniques of physical manipulation of gumprints
• learn how to clean the works to guarantee their permanence and how to mat them for exhibition purposes