Carla Joy Evans
Cyanotypes (also known as "blueprints" or “sun prints”) are the oldest form of photography - invented in the mid-nineteenth century and commonly used for duplicating architectural drawings. They are made by coating paper with a light sensitive solution, exposing it to the sun, and developing it in clear water, which turns the exposed areas blue.
I love the hands-on simplicity of this process, it's links with the past, and its reliance on unpredictable elements: the time of day, the season, the temperature of the water and composition of the paper all affect the result, and the result can never be repeated.
Most of my professional photography and design work is done on computer, reviewed, edited, reworked and controlled into the final desired image. But with Cyanotypes I lay down illustrations or cut-outs along with natural objects found while out on morning walks, and the final print is made by the sun. The image is invisible until it hits the water and once turned blue it cannot be altered and will not fade.
I like to combine silhouettes and organic objects that hint at the Cyanotype’s reliance on the natural world, and its Victorian origins – a time of photographic experimentation, early cinema, a fascination with harnessing the elements. Cyanotypes have a dreamlike quality, a power of suggestion without laying down detail. They leave space for your imagination to fill, and marks that make you wonder what lay there.
