Camera-less Eco-Photography: From Plant to Print for Book Artists

Course Code: 26MPM019V

This virtual workshop takes place on Zoom on Thursdays, July 16th-23rd, from 6:30PM to 8:30PM ET.

• Thursday, July 16th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM

• Thursday, 23rd, 6:30PM - 8:30PM

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on July 2nd, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

About the Workshop:

This virtual workshop is taught by CBA instructor Iviva Olenick.

Learn how to use household materials and plants to make camera-less eco-photographs, building on skills learned in Natural Dyeing, Kitchen Printing and Embroidery, through this two-part workshop. Transform food waste (purple cabbage leaves, turmeric spice, water from soaking black rice, spinach leaves) into photographic emulsions to make anthotypes, or plant-based sun-prints, similar to cyanotypes. Learn how to take plant cuttings and use them to make a safe developer for printing plants on B&W photo paper, known as phytograms. Add embroidery to your phytograms, crafting unique, mixed media artworks, and begin to plan new book arts projects incorporating these techniques.

Required Materials:

• a piece of UV-transmitting glass, acrylic or plexiglass large enough to fit over your anthotype and phytogram substrates
  • If you have a picture frame you're not using, you can use the glass and back for this
• A piece of cardboard or stiff backing the same size as your UV-transmitting glass or acrylic
  • A glass or plexi with the backing from a picture frame works well for this dye/ink-making pot dedicated to dyeing only (not cooking)
• rubbing alcohol
• water
• tablespoon for making developer (separate from food/kitchen use)
  photo-sensitive plants (turmeric as a root or spice, black rice, purple cabbage, pomegranate peel, spinach leaves)
• fabric or another substrate made of natural fibers for printing anthotypes
  • options include cotton rag paper, or 1-2 yards of cotton muslin fabric, silk or linen fabric
• soda ash or sodium carbonate
• powdered vitamin C - Emergen-C packets work fine for this
• plant cuttings found outside or from house plants
• paintbrushes for applying ink. Sponge brush recommended but not required
• B&W photo printing paper
• 2-3 developing trays or kitchen trays for photographic processes, not food/kitchen prep
• window
  
• binder clips to sandwich photographic setups and glass for exposing
• A substrate for printing anthotypes, either fabric made from natural fibers (cotton muslin recommended; silk, wool, bamboo or linen also okay) or cotton rag or linen paper
• coffee filters + a rubber band or tape to attach them securely to a mason jar or sealable plastic container for filtering plants from ink
• Optional: UV light
• Optional: blender for art-making, separate from food/kitchen supplies
• sewing needle and thread or embroidery thread and size 18-22 chenille needles
  

About the Instructor

Iviva Olenick is a Brooklyn-based artist developing textiles from seed to fiber and dye and using textiles as texts. Her work has been exhibited all over the United States, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Museum of Design Atlanta; the Hunterdon Museum, NJ; Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, NYC; the Center for Book Arts, NYC; the Old Stone House, Brooklyn; Wyckoff House Museum, Brooklyn.

All images courtesy of the instructor.