Silver portraits: wet collodion demonstration

This workshop will offer an overview of the history of wet collodion, from its invention to its contemporary uses, as well as an introduction to the various chemical processes required to create images using this demanding technique. The artist will create a portrait of a participant using the ferrotype process (on an iron plate) and then the ambrotype process (on a glass plate), to highlight the differences between these two media. Participants will then be invited to take part in an outdoor group portrait—in natural light—to experience the rhythm and constraints of 19th-century photography.

This workshop will give you the chance to discover the wet collodion process, a medium that is rarely practiced and difficult to access. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in a discussion about our relationship with analog photography and about photography as a crafted object and as a scientific protocol. Finally, you’ll share in the collective experience of the magic of a breathtaking photographic process that borders on alchemy!

This workshop will be led by Lou Bou, a Montreal-based photographer specializing in wet collodion. Drawing on a queer and trans perspective, they transpose this 19th-century process into a contemporary context, placing transformation and fluidity at the heart of their practice.

This workshop will be bilingual (French and English). As space is limited, reservations are required.