Here to stay is a large series of photographs documenting the 1998 dispute between the Federal Government and Patrick Stevedores on the one hand and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) on the other. Employing the vocabulary of classic photo-journalism, Sleeth’s black-and-white photographs document the strike, protests and picket at Webb Dock, Melbourne following the mass-sackings of union members at Patrick Stevedores and the use of non-union labour on the waterfront. Originally intended for publication in a book, this series was Sleeth’s last major body of work produced in black and white.
(2021)
Gelatin silver prints are black-and-white photographic prints that have been created using papers coated with an emulsion of gelatin and light-sensitive silver salts. After the papers are briefly exposed to light (usually through a negative), a chemical developer renders the latent image as reduced silver, which is then fixed and washed. This technique was first introduced in the 1870s and is still used today. Most twentieth-century black-and-white photographs are gelatin silver prints. They are known for being highly detailed and sharply defined prints with a distinguishable smooth, even image surface.
