"The Dark Room"

The Dark-Room of a Photo-Lab is similar to that of a Musician’s Practice-Room, such as for a Pianist. Both spaces offer a private place within which to practice and develop their craft. The photographer spends hours counting seconds, and exposing light sensitive paper to the carefully controlled beams from an enlarger, while the piano player counts out measures, tapping their fingers on the keys to the rhythm of the notes on the sheet-music. I only played piano for a few years when I was younger and my attention span made it difficult to produce satisfactory work that flowed freely from my hands. When I discovered that the solitude and quiet of the photographic darkroom played well into quieting my overactive mind, I was able to practice this new art form with greater focus. A rehearsal space allows a musician to run a piece of music over and over, making mistakes…