CHENNAI: Despite the access to technology, devices and software, there is something about creating things in-person that never loses its charm. Record disks, pottery, film photography, tie-dying — the past decade has seen an increasing appreciation of the once lost arts. Another example on the rise is cyanotype printing.
With the magic recipe of chemicals, light-sensitive materials, sunlight and water, cyanotype printing allows you to recreate photo negatives or create striking photograms using daily objects like leaves, flowers, petals etc in beautiful hues of blues and whites. The process has a dedicated community across the world, some right here in namma Chennai. To celebrate World Cyanotype Day, Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB) is organising a Pop-Up Exhibition at Roja Muthiah Research Library (RMRL) on September 25.
For this, they have announced an open call for prints by enthusiasts in India that will be displayed at the venue. “We have entries coming in from Shimla to Thoothukudi. People are sending photograms, photographs, even some experimental styles where they have drawn something and then printed it. All of these prints will be showcased at the exhibition,” says Varun Gupta, director, CPB.
Alongside the submissions of the open call, the exhibition will also show a curated display of Madras-themed images by street photographers in Chennai. “These will be created at an invite-only workshop beforehand, featuring the architecture, Marina, people; the flavours of Chennai,” he adds. You will also be able to spot archival images from RMRL. Those who wish to try their hand at the technique can do so at the participative area where children and adults can create their own photogram and hang it up for show.
CPB conducted several in-person workshops in January but their ability to reach and build a community was hampered by the second wave of COVID-19. This led them to create an e-learning series by Varun and cyanotype printing kits. The mission of the exhibition is to introduce the printing process to the city. It is easy to learn and adapt since it demands no specialised equipment. Salts of iron compounds are coated over light-sensitive materials and exposed to sunlight that turns the chemicals blue. This technique, developed in 1842 by Sir John Herschel, has gone through little change in over a century. Perhaps, this is what makes it such a widespread practice.
Cyanotype enthusiasts convene through Facebook groups and are coming together on September 25. “The idea is to have a casual setting in which people can discover cyanotype and we are playing a small part in this. Cyanotype is a global movement and this is the beginning of the movement in India,” Varun concludes.
Deadline for open-call submissions: September 15. Event time: 11 am to 5 pm.
Buy kits at shop.chennaiphotobiennale.com