I began working on the project titled Biolabor in 2023. During this period, my interest shifted specifically toward the use of environmentally friendly, sustainable, homemade photographic “chemicals.” The project is grounded in an experimental practice that examines the material and ethical dimensions of photography. My working method is based on a two-point manifesto:
1. All “chemicals” used in the development process are produced by myself, using exclusively natural ingredients.
2. No newly manufactured raw materials are used in the image-making process.
The project currently unfolds along several parallel lines. In addition to ongoing experimentation and the maintenance of a detailed work journal, it also takes shape through workshops related to the topic, organized in collaboration with DRUKKER Community Letterpress. Alongside this, a recipe book compiling the processes and experiences gathered during the experiments is currently in progress. I see the full realization of the Biolabor project in the formation of a collective. I believe that FUTURES can provide a particularly suitable platform for the networking and collaboration required, connecting like-minded artists and institutions working with similar concerns.
Ákos Levente
Ákos Levente is a Budapest-based visual artist. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in photography in Hungary at MATE Rippl-Rónai Institute of Art (Kaposvár) and at Budapest Metropolitan University. He spent one semester at the Brno University of Technology, Studio of Photography. Since 2020 he has been a member of DRUKKER Community Letterpress and since 2021 a member of the Studio of Young Photographers. He is actively involved in the professional community work and in the organization of different photography-centered workshops and camps. His interests are centered on DIY and alternative photographic approaches, with a particular focus on environmentally conscious and sustainable practices. His long-term goal is to build his autonomous practice around these principles and to establish a creative community based on a similar mindset.
