Cody Dock Cyanotype Workshops

Cody Dock sits on the lower part of the tidal River Lea: the site of Cody Dock was constructed by the Imperial Chemical Company in 1873 to serve the increasing industry in the area. The dock was built to unload the coal used to produce coal gas, to then distribute the factory’s many by-products, such as soap and the pigment Prussian Blue.

A short distance from Cody Dock, along the River Lea, Bromley Hall was the site of a prominent textiles factory, operating nearly a decade earlier. The 18th Century business known as Talwin & Foster was famed for their production of elaborate blue-printed fabrics utilised in fine furniture production (prints can be viewed in the online archives of the Victoria & Albert Museum here).

Cyanotype printing is an economical photographic printing process that utilises a UV-sensitive formula to create photograms. The Cody Dock Cyanotype print-making workshop seeks to explore the history of the Prussian blue hue within Newham and its creative industries. Participants are encouraged to bring their own artefacts and photographic negatives to utilise, alongside provided materials, to create their unique prints to take home. The borough’s heritage of creative and industrial production will be explored simultaneously with participants’ personal histories and stories. This workshop will explore the possibilities of utilising print-making within the contemporary context of Newham today.

Three workshops are available to book on to throughout the afternoon:

• 12:00 – 12:45 pm
• 13:00 – 13:45 pm
• 14:00 – 14: 45 pm

References: The history of Cody Dock researched and written by Paul Ferris can be viewed here.