Experimental nominee

Uninhabitable is a series where Oliveia experiments with experimental and alternative photographic techniques, these experiments are both within and outside the darkroom. She makes her own handmade negatives out of different materials she finds within her house and combines them with traditional art materials such as pigments and inks. Oliveia creates her own subject matter based around the theme of the Anthropocene which is a geological epoch which we are currently in. She aims for the handmade negatives to showcase the unseen perspectives of landscapes which aren’t viewable from the naked eye, whether these are intended as satellite images or images from a slide on a microscope. Her practice hopes to showcase the unpredictability and indelibility of climate change as she is inspired by organic forms, textures and smells.

Over the course of the past year I have been exploring and experimenting with a range of varied materials and techniques which focus on natural forms within the landscapes in the time of the Anthropocene. I use different photographic processes which push the boundaries within a photographic practice into a fine art practice. Within my work, I aim to create a sublime experience while considering the perceptions of the human experience.
 
I use camera-less techniques to portray the uncertainty of climate change; this is shown in my series Uninhabitable, where she created handmade negatives to enlarge within the darkroom. For this series I explored the chemical reaction between traditional art supplies and household substances in which I was influenced by abstraction, organic form, and textures. My practice explores the unpredictability of nature and the destruction we as a species have on the planet.

In 2022 I exhibited my work in 7 exhibitions which is a mixture of virtual and physical. I self-published three photography zines of my own work in a series I call ‘Uninhabitable’ and I have been invited to partake in two podcast with respected photographers within the community.