Peter Maarseveen

The DarkRoam

As more people around the world become interested in traditional film photography, many want to learn how to develop their own film and print their images in a darkroom. For those in Tasmania wanting to access a darkroom, they usually need their own space and equipment or be enrolled at the Utas art school in Hobart or Launceston. However, these options aren’t always easy to access, especially for people with limited space, time, or mobility. Even students at the art school can only use the facilities while they’re studying, and once they finish, the access stops.

I want to create a community darkroom that anyone can use. At first, I looked for a permanent space in an artist studio somewhere in Hobart, but that turned out to be quite difficult. A permanent studio would only be available for people living in Hobart. So, I thought, why not make the darkroom mobile — built into a truck or bus. I call it The DarkRoam. This way, it can be driven to schools, regional towns, and anywhere else across the island state.

I have over 20 years of experience working with darkrooms — from high school, doing a fine arts degree, to working at the Hobart art school as the photography technician for the last five years. I’ve also built several darkrooms over the years and run many film photography workshops. I helped start the popular Utas Analogue Photography Society, which recently held a well-received exhibition at the Plimsoll Gallery in Hobart.

Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring different options to buy a suitable vehicle, such as old buses or horse float trucks. Inside, I plan to install a fully functional darkroom with multiple enlargers, a darkroom sink, drying racks, and other equipment. The mobile darkroom could travel around the state, offering workshops, school visits, art festivals, and even artist residencies — giving artists a space and time to create new work. Because it’s mobile, The DarkRoam can be parked anywhere, making it possible for people across Tasmania to access the magic of analogue photography.

Building a mobile darkroom isn’t cheap. A truck or bus can cost between about $10,000 and $30,000. The fit-out — the equipment and supplies — would likely be around $5,000 (not including labour), with ongoing costs (insurance, rego etc.) of about $2,000 to $4,000 each year. I hope that once it’s up and running, it will cover its costs through memberships, hire fees, artist residencies, and workshops. I’m not asking for any money for my time — I’ll cover the fitting-out and organisation myself. I just want to get it started. I already have most of the darkroom equipment, including enlargers (from 35mm to large format 5x7”), sinks, trays, and more. Over the years, I’ve collected items from tip shops, friends, markets, and anywhere I can find useful gear. I’ll hopefully run small camera library from the DarkRoam too, meaning that more people can have access to equipment they may not be able to otherwise afford.