Alternative Process
Brittany Nelson works with 19th century photographic chemistry techniques by altering their traditional usage to create artifacts that speak about the future.
Artist BioAlternative Process involves removing the silver from darkroom paper, using photographic chemicals to create form without a subject or a camera, finding the integrity in an unrecognizable material, and transforming the tradition of historical photographic processes. For this body of work, Nelson explores the 19th century process of Tintype photography to construct artifacts to speak about the future. Created entirely with 3D digital effects and translated into an 1850’s photographic process, Nelson uses the history of the process against itself to critique her medium.
Brittany Nelson presents her project at the 2015 Creative Capital Retreat
From the Journal
Nowadays, photography is perhaps the one artistic medium with which literally everyone has some experience. And that’s what makes Brittany Nelson’s work so important. Her Creative Capital project, Alternative Process, opens November 5 at David Klein Gallery. Typical of her process, the work shows the various way in which Nelson has been able to playfully experiment with and trouble outdated photographic processes to create abstract work. Unlike other mediums, photography, in particular, has a long history of perpetuating tradition. By experimenting with processes, Nelson challenges these traditions, which, as she explains, is a white male dominated art form. We caught up with Brittany to find out more about her work.
Brittany Nelson
Richmond, VA
Brittany Nelson works with 19th century photographic chemistry techniques by altering their traditional usage to create artifacts that speak about the future. She received her MFA in photography from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and her BA in photography from Montana State University. Current and upcoming solo exhibitions include Morgan Lehman Gallery (New York, NY), VOLTA (New York, NY), PATRON Gallery (Chicago, IL), and David Klein Gallery (Detroit, MI), Sadie Halie Projects (Minneapolis, MN) as well as group exhibitions at BAM, The Cranbrook Art Museum, and the Houston Center for Photography. She was awarded the Fish/Pearce Award for excellence in process-based work from The Print Center, Philadelphia and her work has been featured in The New Yorker, WIRED, Musée Magazine, Collector Daily, and Art F City.