Sula Dawson
Tutor
Ursula is an artist and educator, with seven years’ experience working in arts education alongside an active independent practice. They studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and Falmouth University, graduating with a first-class degree. They are fascinated by experimental and alternative photographic processes, including cameraless techniques, and can often be found creating joyful, messy chaos with chemicals, light, and whatever might come to hand. Working across photography, video, writing, and performance, Ursula brings an interdisciplinary approach to both their studio work and teaching. They have exhibited in London, Cornwall, and Bristol, and have had work published in independent zines.
Pete Webb
Tutor
Peter works predominately with alternative photographic techniques, particularly the chemigram process. Graduating with a BA in Photography from The Arts University Bournemouth, he has since exhibited his work, given talks and run workshops in the UK and China.
He loves the darkroom because the hands on process allows people to be playful with their photography. It allows people to investigate through trial and error and create images they otherwise wouldn’t have conceived.
Sophie Janssens
Tutor
Katie Davies
Darkroom Manager, KITFORM
Katie is a moving image artist and documentary filmmaker. She works with groups and communities creating single and multiple screen installations, using 16mm film and moving image work to explore the construction of collective identities.
Katie is a Royal West of England Academician and was nominated for the 2016 Paul Hamlyn Award. Her practice-led PhD research focused upon British Sovereignty and it’s contemporary bordering practices and she has contributed to several practice-led chapters, writing for both US and British publications.
Tim Pearse
Artistic Director / Darkroom Manager
Tim set up Negative Thinking in 2022, shortly after moving to Bristol. He has worked in darkrooms and photographic studios for over 25 years, and still gets excited when an image appears in the developer! Tim studied photography at Arts University Plymouth, achieving a first class degree, and maintains an active studio practice. His photographic works have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the UK, USA, and Europe, including at The National Portrait Gallery, London, Prix de la Photographie, Paris, and Humble Arts Foundation, New York. His favourite process is Lith Printing and is renowned for his collection of old photo paper!
Emily Pearse
Studio Director / Community Manager
Emily joined Negative Thinking in mid 2023, and has become a hugely positive force in the development of the community. Em is relatively new to the world of photography, but loves shooting with her Canon A1 and making abstract prints in the darkroom. She studied Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, and has since acquired a vast amount of valuable business experience which she now brings to Negative Thinking. As Community Manager, Em is at the forefront of our engagement with people and projects, as well as the administrative side of things; she’ll always find time to duck into the darkroom to make a few prints though, with her favourite process being Cameraless Photography.
Fenton Fleming
Tutor / Darkroom Technician
Fenton is a photographer and darkroom printer interested in increasingly conceptual work. Initially learning to use a camera as a teen, his passion was reignited after getting a film camera whilst at university for architecture. He taught himself to shoot, develop and scan film circa. 2019 and eventually this affinity for photography outweighed that of design. A short while later, he had the pleasure of being awarded a small arts council DYCP grant to learn to print in the darkroom, along with many experimental processes in 2022 - ’23. Since then the possibilities and endless combinations of film, paper and processes has given him the idea that he might be able to become an artist.
Amy Warren
Tutor
Amy has been printing at Negative Thinking for the last couple of years, though her roots began in her Grandad’s garage darkroom when she was a teenager. She studied Editorial & Advertising Photography at the University of Gloucestershire and now works as a documentary filmmaker. Always travelling with a 35mm camera over her shoulder, she has been fortunate enough to photograph some of our planet's wildest spaces, and adores coming back to NT to explore what she’s captured.
Vida Stapley
Trainee Darkroom Technician
Martyn Grimmer
Tutor