Art Class 16: Cyanotype: Fotos on Fabric
From one of the first woman photographers, Anna Atkins, to lifestyle icon, DIY celebrity Martha Stewart—the Cyanotype Photographic Process continues to fascinate us with its beautiful tones of Prussian Blue colors, by the contact printing of objects (photograms), to using today’s digital negatives. This light sensitive process, activated by the ultraviolet rays of the sun and discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842, has experienced several revivals since the 19th century. First in the 20th century with its rediscovery as an alternative process within university curricula worldwide to this last turn of century, in the 2000s, creating a revolt by fine art photographers in response to the onslaught of technology and its pesky pixel.
In this two-day intensive workshop, we will push the process further by cyanotype printing on fabric, including the latest technique of exposing wet cyanotypes. We will be introduced to the basic procedures using commercially coated fabrics, then move quickly to hand-applied emulsions on various fabrics from cotton to silk. By embedding the photographic image within the “ply-ability” of fabric, we can explore finishing strategies for the image, from sewing, embroidering, quilting, and garment making to creating sculptural forms with the photograph on fabric.
Materials: Materials provided with a $40 fee paid to instructor on the first day of class include chemistry and a contact printing frame. Recommended fabrics will be the responsibility of the student.
Max students: 12