Open Studio with Joan Alexander: 16 & 18 September
When & Where
16 Sept 2026, 15:00
Yarn Ballycastle, 24-26 Ann St, Ballycastle BT54 6AD, UK
About
Step inside Joan Alexander's studio and experience her Artist in Residence as it unfolds.
Throughout the week, Joan will be writing ghost letters, making shadow-casting collages inspired by shared stories, and preparing plant pigments for anthotype sheets. During Open Studio, visitors are invited to spend time in the space, observe these processes, ask questions and explore the ideas behind the work.
Drop-in sessions during Joan's residency:
Wednesday 16 September · 3–5 pm
Friday 18 September · 3–5 pm
You'll also have the opportunity to encounter elements of The Postal Darkroom, observe the making of photosensitive plant pigments, and experiment with these processes through informal drop-in activities.
If you'd like to take part in Ghost Desk, Joan's one-to-one correspondence project, where participants are invited to share a ghost story and begin an exchange that continues beyond the residency, please book a dedicated Ghost Desk session.
Appointments take place throughout the week and can be booked via the Ghost Desk event page.
To find out more about Joan's residency and the full programme of events, visit our Artist in Residence page.
This residency is supported by Flowerfield Arts Centre.
About Joan Alexander
Joan Alexander is an artist from Omagh, now living in Ballycastle with her family. Her work is rooted in shadow catching through experimental and staged photographic works. She has worked and exhibited across the UK, Ireland and beyond, including with Photoworks, Lumen Collective, CCA Derry, Belfast Exposed, Digital Art Studios and PS².
Joan is currently a practice-based PhD researcher in photography at Belfast School of Art. Her research brings together Shadow Studio, an award-winning shadow theatre project, with Shadow Dial Studies—a series of staged photographic works that trace and map lost time. More recently, she has explored photography as a form of writing with light, working with photosensitive plant pigments and ghost stories.