Strolleraopera
Inspiration behind the creation of the work.
Project Cyano +
A bunch of hand made family doilies recently handed down to Despina was the spark for the creation of this body of works. In her artwork she often combines cyanotypes with a layer of hand cut paper in web like geometric designs.
Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic process used extensively from the 1880’s through the 1920’s. The process was later used widely by architects and engineers for the creation of blueprints. A mixture of two chemicals, ferric ammonium and potassium ferricyanide, is used for coating and sensitizing the paper. Then the chosen objects are placed on top of the paper and the set design goes in a UV light box or is being exposed to the sunlight. The action of light allows the creation of a silhouette effect. The result of the process is a print with beautiful Prussian blue tones. Through the process of cyanotype a design can be reproduced as many times as one wishes. Nevertheless there are not two cyanotypes identical because each piece is individually treated and the visual result is unique.
Project Cyano + is currently in its initial stage. Despina’s vision is to gather and record through the process of cyanotype as many as possible designs of hand made creations as well as the stories of the people that created them. Despina welcomes temporary loans of hand made doilies that she will immediately return intact upon the completion of the recording process.