Bushwick Community Darkroom previews its massive new space (Photo: Scott Nyerges)
Back in 2011, Lucia Rollow set up a small darkroom in the basement of her Bushwick apartment where she could process black-and-white film. Analogue photography isn’t a cheap undertaking– chemicals, photo paper, equipment, and running water can quickly become expensive. Eventually, she invited in other photographers and film hobbyists she knew around the neighborhood and ended up opening Brooklyn’s only community darkroom.
When I first stumbled on Bushwick Community Darkroom, it was a year after Rollow first started the photography collective and she’d already moved to a (slightly) bigger space at Shops at the Loom near the Morgan stop, let’s just say when things were a little more laid back there. Like many of the regulars at the space, I was looking for a darkroom to call home, having recently left my college one behind. The place was a little cramped, but Rollow was determined to utilize every inch of tite– there was a small studio set-up with lights and backdrop, a completely dark color film processing room as well as a few black-and-white stations. But people shared the space respectfully, and it was clear to me it was a tight-knit community of people supporting one another’s work.
Rollow and a few other darkroom members offered occasional classes for people just starting out with film and the place sustained itself with revenue from this, as well as membership fees. Against all odds, even after Kodak stopped making Kodachrome film in 2013 and chemicals and individual rolls of film shot up in price, and as specific film types and paper types become increasingly hard to find, the Bushwick Community Darkroom has continued to garner interest and grow. Rollow explained that she runs the BCD with the help of “a strong group of devoted volunteers, most of whom have been with me for several years.”
(Photo: Scott Nyerges)
In 2013, the BCD received a generous gift from Print Space, a professional film and digital processing company in Manhattan– a massive trove of equipment. Unfortunately the small space at the Loom had no room for all this awesome stuff– enlargers, a Colex color processor. Rollow and BCD members began to think seriously about finding a bigger space and various problems related to shoddy construction at the Loom. After years of searching, Rollow finally found a massive 2,400 square foot warehouse space in Bushwick, though unfortunately it was sort of an “empty box.”
To help install plumbing, electricity, and create better ventilation, the BCD has been steadily raising money through a crowd funding campaign. They haven’t quite reached their goal yet, but, as evidenced by a preview party this past Tuesday, they’re still moving forward with the new space, which will house 10 black-and-white stations, four color processing darkrooms, lockers, and a large studio. All of this will help them expand their programming to include lectures, workshops, openings, and more classes.
Rollo anticipates the bulk of the buildout to be completed in March and is aiming to have the place up and running by the beginning of April.
