Wednesday October 22nd- Friday October 25th 2024. A fantastic opportunity to spend time with like-minded people, investigating the creative potential of analogue film making. Residents stay together at the Tregenna Castle estate with its beautiful views over St Ives, working at the world famous Porthmeor Studios in St Ives with its important history within the modernist art movement. St Ives is also home to the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Studio and Gardens.

About the Residency

This group artist residency offers an opportunity to immerse in the process of working with analogue moving image, led and supported by St Ives-based artist film maker Dr Joanna Mayes.

We base ourselves in the Borlaise Smart Room at the world famous Porthmeor Studios in St Ives, with its wonderful view over Porthmeor Beach, spending time filming around the town then hand processing and projecting our results at the studios.

Residents stay in a shared apartment at the historic Tregenna Castle Hotel and Estate with its beautiful views over St Ives. We have full use of the hotel facilities, with its lovely grounds and mature planted woods plus a swimming pool and various shared spaces to relax or work in.

Together we will consider the basics of artisanal 16mm and 8mm film production, learning from Joanna’s artist film making practice, developed over the last 20 years, which incorporates a kitchen-friendly and eco-aware approach to working with analogue film. We will be working with second hand equipment (both standard 8mm and 16mm bolex cameras), recycled and/or affordable film stock and cheap and more eco-friendly coffee-based film processing methods.

Joanna will share ways in which to source affordable and recycled film making materials, working without a formal darkroom and how to align our film making practice with contemporary climate and waste-aware concerns. Residents will come away with an awareness of the artisanal film production and ways in which to continue their practice in an affordable way. This approach is also applicable to Super 8 filmmaking, which will also be discussed. Please message if this is a particular interest of yours.

Artist participants are encouraged to bring their approaches to filmmaking to the residency, to share skills and learn from eachother. Joanna will also share her improvisational approach to filmmaking with a 360 degree approach to subject, process and materials as demonstrated in her year-long Around The Island, St Ives filmmaking project. Joanna’s performative and process-based approach to film making is informed by her PhD work at Dartington College of Arts entitled ‘Experiments with the Activated Presence’.

This artist film making residency will take a relaxed approach, giving plenty of time for conversation and sharing our experience of image-making and how this relates to the development of an analogue moving image practice. The aim of this and following residency cohorts is to develop a network of like-minded artists who can support eachother’s practice and create spaces for sharing work more widely both online and in person through @stivesfilm and @mayescreative.

Please note no prior experience of film technology or making is needed. Film stock included.

A digital zoom recorder will also be available for those who have an interest in gathering sound for use with our shared filmmaking.

Day 1 – arrival and welcome meeting

MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON: Free time to explore St Ives and it’s galleries.

AFTERNOON: check in at Tregenna Castle Hotel after 3pm.

EVENING: eat together and welcome meeting to introduce ourselves and our practice and consider ways of working together.

Day 2 – Analogue cameras and filming

Tregenna Castle Hotel/St Ives town

AM: Introduction to analogue film making, cameras and film stocks

Introduction and consideration of possible approaches and benefits of analogue film making practice. We will then explore the potential of both 8mm and 16mm film cameras, considering functions including filming at different frame rates and double exposures. Equipment options will be discussed and benefits/drawbacks of different models and film gauges. Light metering and different types of film stock available for different cameras. Introduction to creative ways of working with expired or unusual film stocks.

PM: Group 16mm and standard 8mm film making activity.

We head into St Ives and/or around the estate is weather is poor. We consider approaches to making films in St Ives, followed by working in groups to test approaches and techniques.

EVENING: Social/Film viewings/Time to explore St Ives

Day 3 - Film making and hand film processing

Porthmeor Studios, St Ives town

AM: Filming in St Ives and Introduction to hand film processing

Introduction to film processing and the ways in which it is possible to process film outside a commercial laboratory or traditional darkroom. Introduction to alternative film processing, caffenol and other plant developers. Working with expired or unusual film stocks.

Additional time as needed for film making in St Ives.

PM: Hand film processing with caffenol

Loading our exposed film into lomo Eastern European home processing tanks and making up caffenol film development chemistry from scratch (caffenol is made from coffee, vitamin C and washing soda) ready to hand process our films.

Joanna shares different ways to load and process film safely at home. We hang our film up to dry, ready for projection the following day.

EVENING: Social/Time to explore St Ives. There will also be time for those who are interested to practice loading a lomo tank in a dark bag (simple once you know how!). 

Day 4: Projection and Reflection

Early checkout to make the most of our time at Porthmeor Studios

AM: Film Projection and telecine

Analogue projection of our negative film at Porthmeor Studios, making a scratch digital telecine and reversal. Low-res digitisation of 8mm negative film using an affordable telecine machine. Discussion of expanded projection/other approaches to sharing analogue film/digitised outcomes.

Late AM/Lunchtime: Reflection and next steps

PM: Time to enjoy St Ives, drink coffee together or head to the beach for a swim!

After the residency

Participants will be sent a copy of any digitised footage and/or sound and encouraged to reflect on and play with creating edited moving image outcomes and ideas for installations etc.

We will have a post-residency zoom meeting a few weeks later to reflect on our experience with an opportunity for follow-on technical queries. Residents will be encouraged to share any moving image, installation ideas or other ways of sharing outcomes from the residency so we all benefit from learning about eachothers’ approaches to creating outcomes from analogue moving image source material.

Accommodation

Residents stay together in an apartment at the Tregenna Castle Hotel, in a room with one other person (maximum), allocated by gender. Once the apartment is full, we may offer accommodation in the hotel itself, also in a shared twin room. We will contact everyone as part of the room allocation process to ensure that everyone is happy with arrangements. It’s a bit ‘mix and match’ but this helps to keep prices more affordable in a town where prices are usually high due to demand to stay in this historic and beautiful town surrounded by the sea.

There is the option of a single room where available, on payment of a supplement, or to stay in the hotel on your own or with a partner. Please message to discuss.

There are simple food heating facilities in the apartment or various options to eat at the hotel or in St Ives itself. Residents are responsible for their own food as this is a room-only accommodation offer (but see below).

There are wonderful sea-swimming opportunities and walking when we are working at Porthmeor Studios, as we overlook Porthmeor beach and there are 4 other different beaches within a short walk. Surf equipment and wetsuit hire is available on Porthmeor, as is SUP at Porthminster Beach.

Getting here

Tregenna Castle is within easy walking distance of St Ives as well as St Ives branch line railway station (it was one of the original Great Western Railway hotels). There are also coaches which arrive into the bus station, also close to the hotel. Taxis are only £5 if the walk doesn’t appeal – people usually walk down into town and take a taxi back as Tregenna Castle is up hill! There is plenty of free parking for those who will be arriving by car. Parking is challenging in town so once here residents are encouraged to walk or take taxis together.

Price

£575 per person including 3 nights room-only shared accommodation in a twin room in a 2 bedroom apartment at Tregenna Castle Hotel, allocated by gender. Full use of the hotel facilities including swimming pool. See accommodation section for details.

Residents are responsible for their own food and travel costs.

There is also an amazing seasonal pre-pay offer available at the hotel – once we have enough people committed to the residency, or if you are coming with a partner and are happy to commit to pre-booking, we may be able to upgrade our accommodation to include a dinner and two breakfasts at the hotel at no extra charge! Also a free round of golf is included in this deal which we could have a go at together on the last day . Early application is encouraged for this reason as this deal cannot be guaranteed.

£395 per person without accommodation

The residency includes shared use of 16mm and standard 8 Bolex cameras, film stock and hand film development equipment and caffenol chemistry.

Useful links:

https://tregenna-castle.co.uk/
https://www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/st-ives