Exhibitions
Jess Holdengarde, Glimmer
In a time marked by environmental, economic, and social crisis, Glimmer is a new body of work by lens-based artist Jess Holdengarde that confronts the paralysis that often is associated with disillusionment.
Jess has developed a sustainable analogue photography practice, building an archive of refined recipes for plant-based developers and low-impact processes specific to Scotland and the UK. Rooted in her commitment to sustainability, Glimmer marks a new exploration into Holdengarde’s practice.
Through layered approaches, Glimmer uses the camera, body, light, silver, and sound to explore how the intimacy of a practice can spark transition. With a desire to move beyond the inertia increasingly related to our current climate, the photographic image is used as an anchor; a silver thread of light offering hope in the face of chaos – leading us into spaces of personal refuge and magical realism.
Foraging, recording, and embedding themselves in surrounding landscapes are central to their creative process. The photographic works have been hand-developed and printed with plant-based developers – brewed from locally foraged materials such as wild thyme, yarrow, berries, heather and seaweed.
Earlier this year, Holdengarde extended their research and practice internationally during a residency in the Verzasca Valley, Switzerland. Captivated by the large rocks that shimmered and glistened in the riverbeds of the Verzasca River, they immersed themselves in the landscape, exploring the intimate proximity between bodies—of water, rock, camera, and self.
“I found inspiration in the connection between my body (and other bodies) to the warmth, stability, and presence of the large rocks embedded in the valley’s landscape. I used light, time, silver, local plants, and river water to create a series of analogue negatives, which form the foundation of this exhibition.”
A significant influence on this new body of work has been the archives of the Wilhelmina Barns- Graham Trust (WBGT). Holdengarde was drawn to the shifts in Barns-Graham’s work following her visits to Grindelwald, Switzerland (1949), and Orkney (1984). As noted in the Trust’s archives:
“In the face of turbulence and a rapidly changing world, alongside personal disappointments and challenges, Barns-Graham embraced constant flux, as seen in the forces of nature itself”
(WBGT archives, 2024)
In creating this work, Holdengarde approaches the analogue darkroom as a space of transition—one shaped by ritual, alchemy, and momentum. The environment becomes an active participant in shaping the final image, transforming the darkroom into a site of physical engagement. By printing at scale and allowing the photographic image to bleed to the edges, the process embraces imperfection: plant-based materials leave scratches on the emulsion, and river water leaves traces of residue on the negatives, embedding the landscape into the work itself.
In Glimmer, Holdengarde offers a space where the intersection of lens-based practice, the body, sound, and sustainability become a site of resilience and hope—a glimmer of possibility amid uncertainty.
About the artist:
Jess Holdengarde is a lens-based artist from South Africa, currently based between the Isle of Lewis and Glasgow. Through their practice, Jess explores the role of photography in the context of a crisis. Their work encompasses photography, writing, sound, and moving images, all rooted in a commitment to sustainable processes.
In 2024, Jess Holdengarde was selected for Stills & Verzasca Foto Residency, Switzerland with support from the Wilhelmina Barns–Graham Trust. Glimmer is supported by Creative Scotland and the Embassy of Switzerland in the UK.
Stills is supported by Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Project Echo, MPB and The William Grant Foundation.
Images: L:R
Jess Holdengarde, hand processed 35mm negative processed by plant-based developer (made from the river water, yarrow, self heal, wild thyme and nettle) collected from along the banks of Verzasca Valley river, 2024.
Jess Holdengarde, hand processed 35mm negative processed by plant-based developer (made from rowan berry) collected alongside the River Clyde, Glasgow, 2023.
