SEA CYANOTYPE   

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2019. TOMBOLO. LAY OF THE LAND. Site responsive art installation

 

 

A collaborative piece created by  6 artists:

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Millie Egan

Brenda Kearney

Katrin Hanusch

Melanie King

Antonia Beard

Sofia Arredondo

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and  an extraordinary production and volunteer team for TOMBOLO19

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TOMBOLO is a site-responsive art project created by LAY OF THE LAND that encourages exploration of the  wild landscapes of isolated regions within Ireland. 

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The 3 week outdoor art residency culminated in a 4-day public exhibition and took place on Brow Head, West Cork, Ireland.

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SEA CYANOTYPE takes inspiration and merges into the landscape through its colours, textures and shapes. It interacts with the natural elements and responds to different light, wind an tidal conditions, creating a unique and everchanging spectacle.

 

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A 10m piece of fabric was treated with a photographic printing process called cyanotype.  This nineteenth century photographic technique  was invented by John Herschel, a polymath inventor and astronomer.

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Using sea spaghetti found in the area to block the light, the 10m canvas was exposed to UV from the sun to achieve the strong blue colour and create textures and shadows.

 

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By hanging the cyanotype on the cliff edge, the blue length of fabric connects the depths of the sea to the dome of the sky.

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The chemicals from the fabric reacted to the salted water and gradually changed the color of the piece, This unexpected transformation reinforced the evolving character of landscape and the site-responsive nature of the project.

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Photos by:  Millie Egan, Lilly Smith, Orla Kelly, Sofia Arredondo