Photographic Work

GhanaType

The GhanaType printing process was inspired by Mike Ware's article on the Reinvented Chrysotype, created in 2019. Colgan sourced pure gold from Ghana’s Obuasi gold mine and collaborated with chemist Martinez, who developed the photographic solution. The Obuasi mine, which dates back to pre-colonial times, officially opened in 1897 in Kumasi, within the Ashanti region of Ghana. The GhanaType process is named after this gold, which has deep cultural significance in Ghanaian history.

The print created using this process is a unique photograph, serving as a small, lasting token of Africa, represented on a sheet of paper.

This print uses pure gold from Obuasi. The gold was once part of a sacred land that, in the 15th century, saw foreign powers come to extract its wealth. What was known as the Gold Coast was colonized, and the Ashanti people’s gold became a source of exploitation. Ghana later gained independence, with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah leading a revolution to combat neocolonialism. The name "Ghana," meaning "Warrior Kingdom," symbolizes the strength of this resistance.

The original Chrysotype printing process, invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842, used gold. Mike Ware reinvented it in 1996 by introducing a new solution that stabilizes the gold using 3,3-thiodipropionic acid. Ware also discovered that the tones of the print could be adjusted by altering the humidity of the paper during the coating and exposure process.