A-N Bursary

I am pleased to announce that I have been awarded a bursary from A-N Artist Network.

The activity will primarily be focused on my residency at Mawddach in Wales. Analogue astronomical night sky photography and sustainable photographic processes are now becoming common place, but the two combined have rarely been explored. As part of this project, I will draw connections between our intrinsic, material connection to the cosmos, light pollution and the ecology of Earth. In this time of climate catastrophe, it is crucial that humanity finds ways to connect with nature, and by extension, the cosmos. This activity encourages a deeper understanding of the intimate connection between humans, the ecology of earth, the cosmos and photographic materials.

I will focus on producing analogue night sky photographs of the moon and stars, whilst working to produce a site-specific plant based film developer that is potent enough to work with high sensitivity film and low light conditions. I will also conduct research into tri-colour cyanotypes, using sustainable botanical toning techniques, with tuition from Annette Golaz and Sehera Nawaz.
The activity will also result in a workshop and an exhibition, to be confirmed at a later date.

Exhibitions

Coming up, a new duo exhibition for my collaborative project - In Praise Of Raw Data. See the exhibition text below.

IN PRAISE OF RAW DATA
SALON MARGATE
Dr Melanie King & Dr Claudia Mignone

Opening Event: Thursday 27th February 2025, 6-9pm.
With performance and sounds by Clementine Blue.

Exhibition Continues: Friday 28th February – Tuesday 4th March 12-4pm. Saturday and Sunday 12-6pm.
 

This exhibition is a result of an ongoing collaboration between artist Dr Melanie King and Dr Claudia Mignone - an astronomer and science communicator at INAF - Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics.

This exhibition highlights the beauty of raw astronomical data and artefacts resulting from cosmic interactions with telescope sensors. These features include over-exposed cores of stars which resemble black holes and six pointed spikes around stars, which are an artefact of the James Webb Space Telescope primary mirror and struts. In this project, King and Mignone have considered the construction of astronomical images and raw data artefacts that are often removed from astronomical images for public outreach purposes.

Astronomical images in the digital media ecosystem  are highly mediated, for example - colours are added to images taken in different filters to reflect different chemicals present in a galaxy or nebula. In this project, King and Mignone have been speaking to Alyssa Pagan and Joseph Depasquale, visualisation specialists at Space Telescope Science Institute to learn more about their image editing processes. In addition to this, the pair spoke to Mark McCaughrean (Former Senior Advisor for Science & Exploration at the European Space Agency) about his extensive work with astronomical imaging. King and Mignone have discussed their research at the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education held by the International Astronomical Union in November 2024.

This project comprises several colour printing processes and sustainable printing techniques, which mimic the digital imaging processing techniques. These processes include risograph prints, produced at Park Press Margate. In addition to this, King produced sustainable screen prints using oak gall inks and recycled papers made in collaboration with photographer Clare Hewitt, botanical ink maker Carolyn Morton and paper maker Danielle Phelps. King has also been working on duotone cyanotypes using botanical toners in her Ramsgate studio. As King’s work considers the intimate connection between the cosmos, ecology of earth and materiality, the artist was keen to use sustainable printing processes to limit the impact of her work on the environment.

Mignone has experimented with digital astronomical imaging composites, in addition to multiple acetate images that represent astronomical images in different colours. These images show the same object taken in various filters, which are used to produce an installation in the gallery. The experimental printing processes and installations aim to draw attention to artefacts resulting from astronomical telescopes, in addition to the printing processes themselves.

This project comes out of Dr King’s practice-based PhD research “Ancient Light: Rematerialising The Astronomical Image”, which was completed at the Royal College of Art in June 2024. Dr Claudia Mignone has contributed to King’s doctoral research, and the duo have previously worked together to produce artworks for the Waterman’s Art Centre and Central Saint Martins. This exhibition and activity is supported by Canterbury Christ Church University.

Dr Melanie King is a working-class artist and curator, originally from Manchester, UK. Melanie is now based in Ramsgate, Kent. She is Lecturer In Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University.

King is co-Director of super/collider, Lumen Studios and founder of the London Alternative Photography Collective. She is represented by the Land Art Agency.

Melanie is interested in the relationship between the environment, photography and materiality. She intends to highlight the intimate connection between photographic materials and the natural world. Melanie is currently researching several sustainable photographic processes, to minimise the environmental impact of her artistic practice

Dr Claudia Mignone is an astronomer, science writer and communicator from Italy. Originally from the south of Italy, she is currently based in Rome, where she works as science communicator and public engagement specialist at INAF, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics. She is passionate about storytelling, informal science learning and social justice, and researches new approaches to scientific narrative and unconventional outreach methods for astronomy.

She holds a degree in astronomy from the University of Bologna, Italy and a Ph.D. in cosmology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Having studied the universe on the largest scales, she decided to engage full time in science communication, to share the wonders of astronomy with the public. Prior to her return to Italy, she worked for ten years communicating the European Space Agency’s science missions, including Rosetta, Gaia, Planck, and the James Webb Space Telescope

Workshops

I have produced two On-Demand workshops, with the Land Art Agency.

Seaweed Film Developer
Botanical Cyanotype Toning

Both workshops come with an in-depth introduction, new video and a worksheet with my tried and tested recipes.

I will also be leading an in-person caffenol workshop (with used coffee grounds) on Saturday 22nd March at Photo Oxford.

Videos

In Praise Of Raw Data
Dr Melanie King & Dr Claudia Mignone
The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, International Astronomical Union, November 2024. 

In Praise Of Raw Data
Duotone Cyanotype Experiments

London Alt Photo Events

Martha Gray and I have organised two upcoming events with the Linnean Society of London.

February 2025 LAPC Social at The Linnaean Society of London
Wednesday, 19 February · 4 - 5pm
Book here - tickets £13.

Come along to our February social for a special LAPC curators tour of the exhibition ‘Still Life: Depicting Nature from Woodcuts to X-Rays’ at The Linnaean Society of London, organised by artist Martha Gray. From the carved woodblocks of the early modern period to the new technique of X-Rays in the twentieth century, the exhibition Still Life reveals how different methods of representing nature have furthered our understanding and knowledge of the natural world.

‘The exhibition showcases manuscripts, rare books, specimens, and rare books from our collections that indicate the many techniques that have been used to depict nature in the last five centuries: woodcuts, engravings, drawings, paintings, nature printing, dried specimens, photographs, X-rays, and finally digital art.’ This event is part of an ongoing collaboration between London Alternative Photography Collective and The Linnaean Society of London. Happening on the 19th of February at 4pm, there are 10 spaces available, tickets are £12.50 (£10 concession).

If you are not able to attend the tour, we will be meeting at The Duke Of Argyll Pub, 37 Brewer Street, London, W1F 0RY at 6pm

Interstices | The Hidden Histories of Women in Botany
Online Talk 5 March 12.30pm - 13.30pm

“Individual contributions are all too often forgotten, overshadowed, or never acknowledged; lost in the gaps among objects.” - Professor Stephen A. Harris, Druce Curator of Oxford University Herbaria. (Adapted from the foreword to Gem Toes-Crichton’s book.)”

In this talk, Gem Toes-Crichton shares her visual research within the collections and archives at Oxford University Herbaria, uncovering the remarkable contributions of women in botany. Collaborating with curators, scientists, artists, and illustrators, Gem’s journey led to the creation of a hand-bound artist’s book featuring pressed plant specimens, cameraless prints, and herbarium ephemera—a tribute to plants, women, and early photographic pioneers. This presentation delves into her research process, the creation of this unique book, and the myriad ways art and science can engage people with plants, history, and photography.

Gem Toes-Crichton is an Oxford-based photographer and researcher exploring the intersection of art and science, with a focus on plants, botanical illustration, and women’s historical contributions. Driven by a keen interest in the overlooked, Gem seeks to illuminate hidden aspects of these fields through her work. When not teaching photography at Falmouth University, she contributes to botanical and ecological fieldwork, blending her interdisciplinary interests with a commitment to engaging the public with plants and the natural world through photography.

You can learn more about Gem’s work here: www.instagram.com/gemblina

 Support Me

- Patreon  (£10 Subscription includes: Monthly postcard and regular tutorials and videos. There are lower tiers available.)
- Ko-Fi

For £10+ Patreon Subscribers, this month I am offering a postcard of ‘Pillars Of Creation’. It is a reproduction of a duotone cyanotype print produced as part of my collaborative project In Praise Of Raw Data. The yellow layer was toned using dandelion leaves.

All proceeds go to the further development of my practice. February and March donations will go towards the In Praise of Raw Data exhibition at Salon Margate.

Image: Submerged Landscapes: Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog, Wales, Seaweed Gin Developer, 2025.