Uploaded March 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Lucas Lai is raising funds through Kickstarter to construct a photo darkroom for La Porte Peinte Arts Center in France. In order to receive contributions, this project must be funded in full by 3/23/12. To help: kickstarter.com/projects/1412844687/constructing-a-photo-darkroom-for-arts-center-in-f
La Porte Peinte is an international arts center that is host to all kinds of creative people: composers, photographers, dancers, sculptors, painters, from around the world. The darkroom we are raising funds to construct will be available to those who do a residency here or participate in a workshop. Eventually the center will also rent the darkroom out to those who already know how to do black and white printing and just need the space to be creative. With your help, the darkroom and processing lab should be finished in May 2012.
From Lucas: La Porte Peinte Centre Pour Les Arts is a wonderful international arts center located in an enchanted medieval village just 2 hours by train from Paris. There stands in the village a house that once belonged to family of Henri Cartier-Bresson (one of the masters of photography), and the surrounding countryside is incredibly inspiring and vibrant creative energy abounds. Burgundy is the birthplace of photography, and it is only fitting to continue its legacy today in the region, within easy access to Paris, one of the world's major art capitals.
The funds raised are being used to pay for the renovation of 2 spaces within the art center, one to house the darkroom, the other an alternative process and negative developing lab. I am doing everything myself, and we need to pay for all the equipment (enlarger, lenses, negative carriers, trays, tongs, lights, timers, etc) and I am hand building a custom sink for the developing process in the darkroom. Any leftover funds will be used to stock the darkroom with chemicals and paper for artists to begin creating work, hopefully starting summer 2012.
For more information about La Porte Peinte, visit http://www.laportepeinte.com, see our Artist in Residence blog at lppartistenresidence.tumblr.com
I believe strongly that photography as a medium should continue to evolve, but also not forget its foundation as an artform that existed outside of computers and digital printers. While these tools only add to the wonderful complexity of photography, they can never replace the tangible and thrilling process of creating photographs in analog form. Being in a darkroom, a space consecrated to creativity, is a unique and special experience that I hope to share with artists and novices alike.
Lucas Lai is raising funds through Kickstarter to construct a photo darkroom for La Porte Peinte Arts Center in France. In order to receive contributions, this project must be funded in full by 3/23/12. To help: kickstarter.com/projects/1412844687/constructing-a-photo-darkroom-for-arts-center-in-f
La Porte Peinte is an international arts center that is host to all kinds of creative people: composers, photographers, dancers, sculptors, painters, from around the world. The darkroom we are raising funds to construct will be available to those who do a residency here or participate in a workshop. Eventually the center will also rent the darkroom out to those who already know how to do black and white printing and just need the space to be creative. With your help, the darkroom and processing lab should be finished in May 2012.
From Lucas: La Porte Peinte Centre Pour Les Arts is a wonderful international arts center located in an enchanted medieval village just 2 hours by train from Paris. There stands in the village a house that once belonged to family of Henri Cartier-Bresson (one of the masters of photography), and the surrounding countryside is incredibly inspiring and vibrant creative energy abounds. Burgundy is the birthplace of photography, and it is only fitting to continue its legacy today in the region, within easy access to Paris, one of the world's major art capitals.
The funds raised are being used to pay for the renovation of 2 spaces within the art center, one to house the darkroom, the other an alternative process and negative developing lab. I am doing everything myself, and we need to pay for all the equipment (enlarger, lenses, negative carriers, trays, tongs, lights, timers, etc) and I am hand building a custom sink for the developing process in the darkroom. Any leftover funds will be used to stock the darkroom with chemicals and paper for artists to begin creating work, hopefully starting summer 2012.
For more information about La Porte Peinte, visit http://www.laportepeinte.com, see our Artist in Residence blog at lppartistenresidence.tumblr.com
I believe strongly that photography as a medium should continue to evolve, but also not forget its foundation as an artform that existed outside of computers and digital printers. While these tools only add to the wonderful complexity of photography, they can never replace the tangible and thrilling process of creating photographs in analog form. Being in a darkroom, a space consecrated to creativity, is a unique and special experience that I hope to share with artists and novices alike.
