An Ting Teng on Collecting & Time

What materials are currently in your studio?

I have been collecting a range of materials in my studio, adding to it as I move through different places. There are offcuts of timber and various odds and ends I pick up from my workplace and on the streets. I also gather tree bark, dried leaves, and flowers from nearby parks and areas around the city. My collection includes numerous stones and rocks gathered while traveling in the UK and abroad. I have old magazines and books found in secondhand bookshops, along with a unique type of rice paper I brought back from Taiwan.

Please can you tell me a bit about your process?

In my practice, I begin by collecting materials that intrigue me, often drawn to subjects found in nature. This initial inspiration leads to a process of documentation and collection through objects and photography, capturing numerous images that I later develop in the darkroom. My choices—whether in pairing images with objects, presenting standalone prints, or experimenting with different media—are guided by intuition and the focus of the project. Rather than isolated pieces, I see each work as part of a larger series, with every image and object interconnected to tell a cohesive story, each element reflecting and enhancing the others within a shared narrative.

What kinds of alternative photographic processes do you work with?

I work with liquid emulsion and cyanotype, both of which bring unique textures and qualities to my images. With liquid emulsion, I coat various surfaces to create photographic paper, allowing me to capture the raw, tactile details of natural elements like rocks. For cyanotype, I brush a light-sensitive solution onto materials and expose them to UV light, producing deep blue tones.

In what ways is your work 'touching on themes such as family, ritual, colonialism and our relationship to the land’

Initially, I was drawn to the textures and quiet stories held within those stones, even in urban landscapes. This fascination led me to wonder about each stone's journey—its ancient origins shaped by time and forces far beyond human reach. Engaging with these natural elements reminds me of our small role within nature’s vast timeline.

In incorporating these elements into my work, I aim to reveal the land’s raw, unfiltered character. I am not merely observing nature but attempting to translate its presence into a visual language that connects with the quiet, understated beauty of rocks, stones, and other natural elements shaped over time. Using liquid emulsion, I embed a fragile quality into each photograph, drawing a parallel to how nature itself bears subtle imprints of time and human interaction. This transformative quality—achieved through both process and physical labour—mirrors the way time leaves its mark on nature, gradually altering and shaping it in ways we often overlook.

I hope to invite viewers into a deeper awareness of nature’s beauty, understanding that each texture carries a piece of our shared history. The objects I use—stones, rocks...—aren’t just materials; they are remnants of ancient transformations shaped over aeons. In the darkroom, I echo these natural processes through slow, deliberate techniques, creating a dialogue between time, texture, and memory.

Can you talk about how you are thinking about time through your materials and processes?

Time is a crucial element in my practice. In my process, from the darkness of the darkroom to the printing stages, time is woven into every step. The time-intensive nature of working with liquid emulsions and experimental processes often involves a lot of trial and error. I aim to embed this sense of labor and time into the work itself, so each piece reflects not only the effort invested but also the unpredictability and fragility of the process. These prints are delicate; unlike modern printing methods that offer permanence, they might fade or change over time, embodying the transient quality of the materials themselves.

The natural materials I incorporate - stones and rocks - are also rich with time, having traveled through aeons and geological transformations to reach me. These objects aren’t merely materials; they’re ancient lives compressed into rock over millions of years. In many ways, I feel my work in the darkroom mirrors these natural processes: each print, each mark, is shaped by time and nature’s slow power. Just as stones and trees reveal their essence through the marks time has left on them, I try to capture that same sense of patience and transformation in my work.