The ebb and flow of tide and time imprints its image on these silks. Like the shifting waters of the marsh, the image is transient, and will continue to change due to the action of sunshine and rain. Once all the residual chemistry in the fabric has washed away, the colours will be fixed in shades of Prussian blue.
Cyanotype on Silk | Seawater, rain & sunshine | 500 x 1100mm
Process Note
Developed in 1842 by Astronomer Sir John Herschel, Cyanotype is a contact printing process based on light sensitive iron salts. The Prussian-blue colouring of this printing process is responsible for the term ‘blueprint’, and for over a century it has been widely used for architectural plans & diagrams. In 1843, Victorian botanist Anna Atkins employed the process to record algae & seaweed, publishing what is considered to be the first photographically illustrated book.
videography: Barney Lampard