Melanie King is an artist and curator with a specific focus on astronomy. She is co-Director of super/collider, Lumen Studios and founder of the London Alternative Photography Collective. She is a lecturer on the MA programme at the Royal College of Art, and on the BA Photography course at University of West London. Melanie is a PhD Candidate at the Royal College of Art. She is a graduate of the MA in Art and Science at Central Saint Martins, and the BA Fine Art at Leeds Art University. Melanie is a desk holder at Resort where she uses the Darkroom for her photo projects.

In 2018, I moved to Margate and had previously visited Resort on one of the Christmas Fair events, so I was overjoyed to get a desk space at Resort, whilst also having access to the darkroom and print room.

I am an artist who primarily works with science, photography and materiality. I have a background in Fine Art, so I was drawn to the interdisciplinary artist network that Resort provides. It is fantastic to see the broad range of creative activity that happens at Resort. I recently printed “Lunar Portraits” a series of portraits illuminated by the light of the Full Moon in the darkroom at Resort. These photographs formed a solo show at Leeds Art University which opened in January 2020.

I have participated in one SECCADs training session, which helped me with the more practical side of my business. This session helped me to learn more about accounting, as well as learning about the importance of posture in public speaking. SECCADs has also subsidised a chemigram workshop within the darkroom, which allowed me to sell tickets at a cheaper price. This meant that the tickets were more accessible for a wider audience.

I have applied to the SECCADs Individual Grant as I would like to set up my own tailored studio space in Ramsgate. I have the space already, but specific equipment would allow me to create large format photographs of the night sky, which is something I have not yet been able to do.

melaniek.co.uk