During the 2010's darkrooms were disassembled from many institutions and universities in the Nordic countries, and the teaching of analog photography practices diminished widely. As a result, the tactile knowledge distributed in the community darkrooms became the most important channel to preserve and further develop the art of analog photography in its various forms. The new global analog wave, fuelled by the growing demand for slow and unique practices, has resulted in the rising interest in analog techniques among photography artists. The Nordic Analog Network is founded to answer this demand and facilitate the mobility and shared knowledge within Nordic artists and communities and towards the wider audience.

Nordic Analog Network was founded in 2022 by CYAN Studio (Oslo, Norway) and Finnish Darkroom Association (Helsinki, Finland). Artists Stig Marlon Weston, Natalia Kopkina and Katri Lassila organized the first two pilot rounds for the program in 2022 with the support of Nordisk Kulturfond and Norsk-Finsk Kulturfond. During the pilot rounds two Norwegian photography artists (Silvia di Giorgi and Julie Olsen) worked in Helsinki and two Finnish artists (Patrick Kuoppamäki and Paula Humberg) worked in Oslo for three weeks each.

Open Call for the year 2024 is organized at the end of 2023. The deadline of the applications is December the 15th 2023. The results of the Open Call and selected artists will be announced by the end of January. To be eligible to apply the artist has to be living in one of the Nordic countries; Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway or Sweden. The selected artists will be paid a fee of 900€ which is aimed to cover the artist's travel costs, material costs and living expenses during the three-week period of residency. The darkrooms will offer accommodation for the selected artists.

Stig Marlon Weston (Founder & Co-director) is a photographer and artist living and working in Oslo. He is a co-founder and executive director of CYAN studio community workspace with a photostudio, gallery and darkroom. Weston explores many kinds of analog processes, focusing on medium and materiality in his personal work. He studied professional photography at Strommen and Stokmarknes college in Norway and has worked as a freelance photographer for more than 20 years.

Natalia Kopkina (Founder & Co-director) is a photographer and artist living in Helsinki. She is a co-founder and executive director of the Finnish Darkroom Association and artistic director of the Helsinki Darkroom Festival. Kopkina works extensively with analog printing processes. Kopkina graduated with an MA in Photography from Aalto University in 2015.

Katri Lassila (Founder & Co-director) is a photography artist and one of the founding members and the president of the Finnish Darkroom Association. Katri is specialised in gelatin silver printing but works also with other analog photography techniques and digital moving image. Katri is finalizing her artistic doctoral dissertation about the image of landscape for Aalto University, Department of Film.

Jenna Jauhiainen is the Communications Specialist of the Nordic Analog Network.

The Nordic Analog Network is set up with a goal to connect the analog photographic community in the Nordic countries and help share inspiration, information and know-how in this crafts based artform. Each hosting darkroom and visiting photographer will be encouraged to share their work and process through exhibitions, workshops, public presentations or other activities that fit the community they are in. The partnering darkrooms are:

Silver Lab, Denmark

VK3, Denmark

Mörk & Värinä, Finland

Luovake, Finland

SÍM, Iceland

Cyan, Norway

Isotop, Norway

LKV, Norway

Saga Photo Centre, Norway

Björkö, Sweden

Nordic Analog Network two-year residency program is supported by Nordic Culture Point (Nordic Council of Ministers). Two pilot rounds of the program were supported by Nordisk Kulturfond and Norsk-Finsk Kulturfond. Partners in the program include apart of the darkrooms Helsinki International Artist Programme and Förbundet Frie Fotografer.

The jury of each darkroom has independently decided the artists they will invite to work with them in 2024.

Invited artists are:

Silverlab /Copenhagen, Denmark invites: Oskar Söderman from Sweden
VK3 Printroom /Klitmoller, Denmark invites: Lia Stefanescu from Norway
Mörk /Helsinki, Finland invites: Åsmund Lahaug from Norway
Luovake/Jyväskylä, Finland invites: Emma Harris from Denmark
SÍM /Reykjavik, Iceland invites: Jenni Toivonen from Finland
CYAN /Oslo, Norway invites: Erik Gustafsson from Sweden and Vanni Jung Ståhle from Sweden
Isotop /Bergen, Norway invites: Frank Unger from Finland
LKV /Trondheim, Norway invites: Juliana Smith from Finland
SAGA /Inderoy, Norway invites: Maia Torp Neergaard from Denmark
Björkö /Stockholm, Sweden invites: Toivo Heinimäki from Finland

The jury of each darkroom has independently decided the artists they will invite to work with them in 2023.

Invited artists are:

Silverlab /Copenhagen, Denmark invites: Claudia Hausfeld from Iceland
VK3 Printroom /Klitmoller, Denmark invites: Grethe Irene Einarsen from Norway
Mörk /Helsinki, Finland invites: Hallgerdur Hallgrimsdottir from Iceland
Luovake/Jyväskylä, Finland invites: Johan Buch from Denmark and Vibe Kilde from Norway
SÍM /Reykjavik, Iceland invites: Silvia De Giorgi from Norway and Mishael Oladipo Phillip Fapohunda from Denmark
CYAN /Oslo, Norway invites: Sirja Moberg from Finland and Ingrid Jacobsen from Sweden
SAGA /Inderoy, Norway invites: Selina Oakes from Finland
Björkö /Stockholm, Sweden invites: Maria Heines from Denmark and Mai Keldsen from Denmark

The jury of each darkroom has independently decided the artists they will invite to work with them in 2022.

Invited artists are:

Pilot round 1 (spring)
Mörk /Helsinki, Finland invites: Silvia De Giorgi: from Norway
CYAN /Oslo, Norway invites: Patrick Kuoppamäki from Finland

Pilot round 2 (autumn)
Mörk /Helsinki, Finland invites Julie Schie Olsen from Norway
CYAN /Oslo, Norway invites: Paula Humberg from Finland