Tom Jenkins

Alchemy

This series began by photographing silver surfaces on photographic film, culminating in printing on silver gelatine paper. Silver is reflective by nature and because of this phenomenon silver contains all colour that exists in the waves of light that are reflected.

Moving forward from this point, the artist began physically trying to coax the colour out of discarded photographic paper.

Using alchemy as a contextual template, the work aims to transform something worthless into something precious. Through this process the paper reacts and transforms into entirely individual and unique photographs which represent nothing but their own transformation.