Bestiola Collectio
Inspired by Anna Atkins’s first book of cyanotypes, the Bestiola Collection is a photographic record of little beasts, equivalent in its purpose to the Natural History Museum’s specimen collection.
When I unexpectedly came across these insect constructions and realised they were to be abandoned I could not help wanting to record their shadow on photographic paper, so gifting them with new life.
The technique I used is called the photogram process; each Bestiola (or insect) was placed on light-sensitive photographic paper before its projection was exposed to light.
After subjecting each Bestiola to the photogram process I re-printed its image so it could be viewed through the back of the paper, rather than from the front, giving the collection an antique feel. Each insect’s shadow lines reminded me of the look of a child’s chalk drawing on a blackboard, or maybe similar to how it might feel to gaze down into a box of specimen containers in a Victorian museum.
What is a Photogram?
A photogram is a photographic image that is made without a camera.
Objects are placed directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive photographic paper. It is then exposed to light in a darkroom. The paper is then developed by using light-sensitive chemicals in the darkroom.
The result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone; the range of tones depending upon the transparency of the objects used. The shadows or silhouettes are where the objects have prevented light from reaching the surface of the paper. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white, with areas exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appearing grey.
Artist Book
- Bestiola Collectio
- Edition Year 2019
- 21 x 30 cm (8.1/2 x 12 in)
- Photogram
- Pages 18
- Open Edition
- Signed
- £45.00 & Postage