As Part of Collective Polyphony Festival

​

Collective Agitation

Isabella Ford • Camille Perry • Lara Young • Luca Zurich

in collaboration with

London Alternative Photography Collective 

Melanie King • Hannah Fletcher • Martha Gray • Katrina Stamatopolous 

"[The] cinematic image can be thought of as fossilised light, thus practically and metaphorically equating cinema with the geological dimensions of the naturally derived fuels (fossilised sunlight) that continue to enable industrial society and culture."

– Nadia Bozak, The Cinematic Footprint

Fossilised Sunshine is an immersive exhibition that explores the multifaceted nature of photography through the intersecting lens’ of Collective Agitation and London Alternative Photography Collective. Through a curated collection of documents, material investigations, recipes, books, and personal notes, visitors are invited to physically navigate the realm of photographic alchemy.

Central to this project is a critical investigation into the intersecting disciplines within photography and their implications on personal and collective memory. While not offering definitive solutions, this project embraces speculative curiosity. It weaves archival material, alchemic experimentation, site-specific research, and firsthand experience in the photographic field.

The exhibition engages with ecological considerations and the paradoxical relationship between time and nostalgia inherent in photography. We question the incessant consumption of images in our daily lives and the romanticised longing for the past, while actively researching and developing alternative techniques that prioritize ecological sustainability. Utilising biodegradable and foraged materials such as rosemary, ox tongue thistles, dandelions, seaweed, vitamin C, sodium carbonate, coffee, salt, and water we share photographic developers and fixers that centre ecological sustainability.

Through our inter-disciplinary collaboration, we interrogate prevailing practices and narratives in photography. We acknowledge the transformative power of archiving in shaping our perception of places, people, and time. By critically examining our own practices and engaging in broader discussions surrounding photography, we seek to expand our understanding of its impact on collective memory.