Björkö Konstnod

Presentation at Björkö Konstnod June 4th

See Mai Keldsens introduction on Nans video channel >>>

My work during the residency at Björkö, will be directly inspired by the surroundings near the darkroom that I will be working at. I will be making photographs of the surrounding area and when printing I will use materials that I have collected while photographing. I have therefore prioritized darkrooms that are situated in places where the landscape seems to have a strong influence on the people who live there and vice versa. I have also wished for darkrooms where I will get to be in contact with a local community of both photographers and non-photographers (through artist talks, presentations, introductions or the like), since getting to know and understand the places where I am working is an important part of the project.

My practice reflects on historical and spiritual aspects of landscapes through a playful and conceptual photographic method and deals critically with questions of position, storytelling and sustainability.

In 2018 I received the Caspar David Friedrich Prize, and since 2022 I have been a teacher at Fatamorgana, the Danish school of art photography.

MFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (2020) and studied at Maumaus Escola des Artes Visuais in 2016. My work unfolds in photography, artist-books and installations.

Studio/accommodation, darkroom access and other facilitiesDate: May 18-June 8, 2023

Grant Nordic Culture Point via: Nordic Analog Network

Presentation at Björkö Konstnod April 29th >>>

See Marian Heines introduction on NANs video channel >>>

My interests are in people and the environment. Maybe this stems from starting as a photojournalist in an urban environment forced to heed people and their pollution. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to see an environment without people. Or maybe it’s because these two things continue to surprise me in the best and worst ways.

In my analog photography practice, this broad interest has become suddenly personal. Me and my environment. A reflective moment to take stock of my self. That 26-year-old self living in Copenhagen, DK.

At BKN, I will continue looking inward with Far Away—a deeply personal project on my own psychological and artistic processes. In which attempts at emotional growth are bound to my development as a photographer and writer. More specifically, the documentation of my dissociative tendencies will come face to face with learning traditional darkroom techniques and the refinement of my prose. Creating a mixture of thoughts, feelings, stories, coping mechanisms, cameras, film, light, chemical baths and paper working to close the distance I place between myself and the world.

Studio/accommodation, darkroom access and other facilities
Date: April 3-30, 2023

Grant Nordic Culture Point via: Nordic Analog Network

2022 Danida Fellowship Centre; Knowledge in Action Grant/Completed a pilot photo-voice project with students from an underserved South African secondary school. Project consisted of two photography workshops, an environmental lecture and a final exhibition. Currently collaborating with Market Photo Workshop, a Johannesburg school of photography, to continue the project

2022 University of Copenhagen; Award for Academic Excellence/

Received a governmental scholarship for quality of academic performance.

2019 University of Pittsburgh Honors College; Think Research Fellowship/Created three photo books inspecting human-environment relationships during Pittsburgh’s ‘rust belt rebound.

Maria Heines is originally from The US and is currently residing in Denmark.

Björkö Darkrooms is hosted by the not for profit artist run organization Björkö Konstnod. We are situated in the Northern Stockholm Archipelago where the forest meets the sea. We have two darkrooms set up for you to go into deep focus but also to share knowledge and experiences with the other resident artists. The darkrooms can be rented or be part of a program in an artist in residency call. Björkö Darkrooms also facilitates courses from introductory to master level from photography to darkroom techniques. The set up is basic but you can create magic, just think of the work process of photographers like Aaron Siskind or Lisette Mode who's workflow was in a rather simple but well organized environment. Our growing library offers an opportunity to take part of such photographers workflow.

Our facilities and location is perfect if you strive for excelling your practice towards darkroom refinement. Our set up is not for speed and bulk work but rather an atmosphere where you have a good sens of attention towards your practice. You are embedded in an international artist residency setting, with at least one more darkroom practitioner for exchange and learning.

We honor experimental and traditional practices ranging from exploring early photographic techniques to more efficient fine art methods including ecological approaches (soil and plant based, caffenol etc). The upper darkroom is a clean space and the lower is open for plant ans soil based practice.

Members of NAN Darkrooms.

DARKROOM EXCHANGE

The Nordic Analog Network (NAN) is an artist-in-residence program between analog photography darkrooms in the Nordic countries with funding by Nordic Culture Point, The Nordic Council of Ministers and others.

The first open call resulted in 95 applications. Björkö Darkrooms invited Maria Heines and Mai S Keldsen to join us for the exchange program in the spring of 2023.