About

// We are a community welcoming all who wish to engage with black & white darkroom photographic processes in a communal & supportive environment. The Gate Darkroom is a not-for-profit community interest company that runs the darkroom for its members and all who wish to have access to these resources.

// For over six years the Gate has operated a darkroom at Bond House, New Cross Gate, Lewisham, with the help and encouragement of ASC Studios a charity that supports the visual arts.

// In May 2017 the Gate moved to Thames-Side Studios. Located beside the river just east of Greenwich, Thames-Side Studios is the largest single-site studio provider in the UK. With over 460 studios it is home to an impressive array of artists, makers and designers and includes Thames-Side Print Studio and London Sculpture Workshop. There are also galleries and cafes, an education space and hot-desking area.

// The new darkroom was opened in August 2017. It has seven black & white enlargers from 35mm to 5×4 formats, one small and two large sinks, dryers for both fibre and resin-coated paper, a film drying cabinet, dry mount press, light box etc, all on ground floor level.  There is natural light in the studio. 

Ethos and culture

The Gate Darkroom is a not-for-profit community interest company that helps all seeking to explore black & white darkroom processes and printmaking in a communal and supportive environment. This ethos underpins all we do. By joining you are becoming part of this supportive and inclusive community. Please therefore don’t hold back from introducing yourself to others when you’re in the darkroom. If you want to be involved in workshops or group exhibitions, please just ask. If you prefer to work on your own, that’s fine too, and your space will be respected.

Our inherited history

The Gate Darkroom affirms access to photographic practice and knowledge for all. There is an organisational history of supporting people who had a difficult time accessing photographic technology, education and experimentation. We take our inspiration from (but not only!) the community darkrooms from whom we inherited material and equipment, such as the North Paddington Community Darkroom and Photoworks Westminster.

Anti-discrimination 

As a group we co-create our environment and The Gate Darkroom seeks to understand power and privilege. We want to co-create a braver and safer space for people and creative practices to flourish, this means that we take discrimination seriously. We stand in solidarity with people who are or have been marginalised by mainstream artistic spaces and society as a whole. If you are subject to or witness any behaviours that are harmful and discriminate against people on the basis of race, gender, ability, sexuality, class, age and religion from another member, you are encouraged to contact a director as soon as possible. Any concern raised will be dealt with promptly and on a confidential basis. There will be a zero tolerance policy towards any of these behaviours.  

A culture of sharing 

In keeping with that history, we promote a culture of sharing knowledge and resources that can help us all grow and better understand the world, especially in relation to oppressions based on race, gender, ability, sexuality, class, age and religion.  Our intention is to consider the role and place of photographers and darkrooms in our society. We want to carry on thinking about photographic history and ethics, and challenge the norms of who is doing it, how we are doing it and who we are doing it for, with the intention of creating common photographic knowledge.

Decision making 

Decisions are made through a dialogue between the directors and all the members. The directors meet once a month to discuss ongoing matters. Other members are regularly consulted on important topics and are asked for feedback through: meet-ups, informal chats, online surveys, emails. From 2022 we aim to organise an AGM every year.

Who we work with 

Over the years we have collaborated with various communities and institutions: Goldsmiths University, Urban Photo Fest, Abbey Manor College, Westminster University, Deptford X, Phakama, National Maritime Museum, Courtauld Institute, UCL, Care for Collective Curatorial, Fotosynthesis CIC.