What does the photographic image have in common with synthetic dyes, fertilizer, and pharmaceuticals? Informed by the city of Basel’s position as a global center of the chemical industry, this symposium probes the photographic medium’s chemical relations,embedding the history of photography within a larger history of industrial extraction, production, and waste. The symposium will include an artist talk and workshop led by Alice Cazenave, a founding member of the UK-based collective Sustainable Darkroom.

Image: Hans Hinz, Ciba Farben, undated, chromogenic print. Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt.