A CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST REMI SICILIANO

Remi reimagines photography as a dialogue with the environment. Her work transcends mere image-making, embracing the material and receptive nature of analogue photography to collaborate with organisms and ecologies. Through this ecological lens, Remi crafts images that are as much a product of nature's influence as her own creativity.

In this conversation we delve into the moments and influences that ignited Remi’s passion for this unique form of expression. From the inception of an idea to the final image, we explore the rituals and practices that are essential to her creative process.

Remi wears the Sawyer Cable Knit Cardigan in Indigo (coming soon).

Your work explores the potential to collaborate with other organisms and ecologies to make images. Investigating how the material and receptive nature of analogue photography can lend itself to collaborative experiments and encounters. Could you tell us a little more about your approach to image making, particularly as you explore it through an ecological lens?

I see my practice as a lively ecology where I do not execute constant technical control over my tools and materials, but instead play one small role in the creation of images. In relinquishing this control and leaving space for other elements, creatures or forces to encounter and enact upon the photograph, I invite all the unpredictable moments and reactions that can occur. I have named this method of working Ecological Image-Making and see it as a celebration of all the different organisms, materials and forces at play within my work.

I choose to work with analogue photography because it can directly interact with the world. These materials (primarily black and white film and darkroom paper) are light sensitive – the exchange between the presence and the absence of light renders an image. They also record the residues of physical contact and chemical reactions across their surfaces.

What were the moments or influences that sparked your passion for this unique form of expression?

In 2020 I bought a 2nd hand bulk film loader from Gumtree that still had some old film inside. I took it on a local walk to test and when I processed the images I was surprised to see fungus growing through the material, obscuring the images I had shot. What could be easily written off as a ruined material instead became an environment for growth, and by extension the start of an ecological practice of image-making. Since this initial unforeseen meeting with fungus, my practice has consisted of establishing experiments in the hopes of collaborating with other organisms and landscape processes to make images.

The first of these experiments occurred in my backyard, where I buried a piece of darkroom paper in the hopes that fungus may start to grow through the material. However, one night a foraging bandicoot dug up the piece of paper and left scratch marks in the emulsion. For the next several months I would leave out a piece of paper overnight as an invitation for the bandicoot to return and collaborate. Though it did not mark the paper again, a series was created in its absence where the light sensitive paper recorded interactions overnight with dirt and plant matter. That project was very influential in highlighting the active, creative role that photographic materials themselves play in the generation of my work.

I have continued working with fungus in the last few years, intentionally growing it through many more rolls of film.

Remi wears the Sawyer Cable Knit Cardigan in Indigo (coming soon) with the LM Denim Classic Jean.

We'd love to delve into your creative process. How do you navigate the journey from a nascent idea to a finished image, and what rituals or practices do you find most essential in bringing your visions to life?

I intentionally leave a lot to chance in my practice, so the element of surprise is always there and there are often unexpected happenings or failures. It can be hard to predict or plan for what my finished images will look like, and I really love working in this way.

Usually, I set an experiment in motion, wait a certain amount of time and then finish processing the work. Sometimes, like in the case of my fungus film, I see the photographs for the first time several months after shooting them through the camera. More often than not I’m surprised by the outcomes.

For our Pre Fall 24 campaign we worked together to capture the unique and diverse textures found in nature. How and where did you find these moments and what drew you to them?

I often take photographs like these when out bushwalking, which is one of my favourite activities in the world. I love noticing the textures, marks, and residues of life throughout the bush, and how these transform seasonally, across different times of the day and in varying weather. These sorts of images are my field notes, important visual research tools documenting the constantly shifting elements of a place.

Remi wears the Sawyer Boat Neck Sweater in Tobacco.

Your art carries poignant messages about our environment and our relationship to it. What conversations or reflections do you hope to ignite in those who experience your work?

All my work is made in areas of local bushland, nature reserves and national parks, but also in certain urban areas overgrown with invasive weeds. I hope that by looking at my images people will be inspired to spend more time outdoors, exploring their own local landscapes and nature spaces. There are so many small details and moments to notice and get lost in, even in the smallest, seemingly unremarkable pockets of bush, and it’s these feelings of awe and discovery that I try to share through my work.

Artistic journeys are rarely solitary. Could you tell us about any influences that have particularly shaped your approach to photomedia art and your exploration of ecological themes?

I’m influenced by ecology and the study of interactions and relationships between different factors of an environment. These exchanges situate how I understand my own practice with its many active and lively forces.

I am also constantly influenced and inspired by flying foxes. I grew up a block away from a colony, and the landscape they inhabit has inspired years of work and research. The bats are special little creatures that, while not always pictured in my work, are very important anchors. I’m also extremely lucky to have a lot of amazing artist friends in my life that inspire me and that I get to have great conversations with.

Remi wears the Sawyer Boat Neck Sweater in Tobacco with the Kline Pant in Buttercream.

Looking ahead, what projects or themes are you most excited to explore in your upcoming work?

I’m really looking forward to learning some new processes and materials. I’m starting to learn ceramics, and I’m interested in playing with working more sculpturally in my practice.

I have also recently started a new business with Isobel Markus-Dunworth – The Darkroom Social – which provides a platform for researching and sharing environmentally friendlier alternatives to traditional photographic chemistry. My work deals with depictions of the landscape and using conventional toxic chemistry to produce it feels like a disconnect. I’ve been experimenting with invasive weed species and their potential to work as photographic developers, which has been very exciting and productive. Making plant chemistry allows a collaboration to occur with a local landscape, where the physical natural elements of the site play an active chemical role in its own visualisation.

How would you describe your personal style and what pieces are you looking forward to wearing this cooler season?

I would say my personal style is earthy and oversized. I love comfy clothes that I can move around in, especially wide leg pants. I’m definitely a summer baby, so heading into winter I’ll be rugging up in cosy knits and many layers.

Remi wears the Faye Top in Khaki (coming soon) with the Kline Pant in Buttercream.

Remi Siciliano @remi.siciliano
Photography Nic Gossage