Abstract

NHS Darkroom is an ongoing participatory photography research project led by Johannah Churchill in collaboration with Newcastle Hospitals Charity, the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and the University of Sunderland. This iteration centred on a series of analogue printing workshops held in the darkrooms at the Northern Centre of Photography, St Peter's Campus, in which staff from Newcastle Hospitals were invited to make and develop their own photographs alongside sitting for portraits by Churchill. Working with 35mm black and white film, participants learned to hand-develop and print their images, using the slow, tactile process of the darkroom as a space for reflection, conversation and connection. Churchill was supported by a team from the Northern Centre of Photography, including specialist technician Michael Daglish and Stephen Turner, who supported the darkroom workshops, printing and archiving. The resulting portraits were exhibited at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art alongside the collection exhibition The Skin We Live In, which ran from 23 November 2024 to 2 March 2025, and across Newcastle Hospitals' sites. This years focus was cyanotypes of hobbies, and the workshops were supported by University of Sunderland Photography students

Johannah Churchill (lead artist and researcher), Michael Daglish (specialist digital technician, printing, framing, archive and darkroom support), Stephen Turner (darkroom, archive and workshop support).