Change.org isn't my cup of tea politically-speaking but I couldn't help but support a petition calling for a legendary London processing lab to be given a lengthy stay of execution.
I've never used it, not being much of a colour photographer, but the BDI Colour Lab in Old Street has a great reputation amongst photographers, particularly those living and working in the capital. Now, however, Islington Council wants to demolish one of the few remaining commercial labs in London to build luxury flats, effectively bringing the business to an end.
BDI's Brian Dowling is trying to raise as many signatures as possible that he can present to the council in the hope of persuading it to abandon its development plan. Knowing councils (I sat through hundreds of planning meetings as a newspaper reporter and still have the mental scars) I think he's up against it but you just never know.
The petition says, "BDI, the legendary London photographic darkroom. A genuinely local business with a huge international reputation. Where a great many of the most iconic images in Fashion and advertising in the last 25 years were printed for the ultra loyal clientele of the worlds top fashion and advertising photographers.
"A very special place - one still with a soul - bucking the trend by thriving in the turmoil of technological change by still being the only option to go to for a new generation of demanding image makers for whom the human and personal relationship is the 'icing on the cake' ingredient."
It would be great if everyone who reads this blog could take just a couple of minutes to visit this website and sign the petition. There's just a chance that a big show of support will have an impression on the council which maybe isn't aware of how popular the lab is.
We've lost too many really good film processing labs over the years so let's see if our signatures can make a difference this time.
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