Respite is a gelatin silver print created by exposing a single 35mm close-up capture of a succulent over fifteen 370x370mm sheets of hand-cut gelatin silver paper. The print was designed to display in a grid (five across and three down) which measures approximately 1900x1200mm installed. The process, from tearing paper to developing the prints, took approximately 5–6 hours.
To create the work, I hand tore fifteen sheets, or tiles, from a 127cm x 30 meter roll of gelatin silver paper. The individual sheets were then placed in a grid on the darkroom wall and exposed with a single 35mm negative of a succulent, chosen as it is aesthetically pleasing and for its composition, texture and tone. Next, the sheets were taken into the darkroom, where I hand-painted each individually with the developer (as opposed to tray immersion) to bring out the image. The process, from tearing paper to developing the prints, took approximately 5–6 hours.
The titling of the work reflects the sense of respite I experienced during its making. Notably, the nuance of the deckled edges in the hand-torn gelatin silver paper and the sense of humanity introduced by the brush strokes from developing prints served to eliminate elements of mass production in the materials, the dust and scratches on the negative are also embraced and clearly visible in the final artwork. This is in the context of producing novel results by embracing chaos and disaster to create conceptual photographic works of art that investigate transformation and a visual language of beauty and strength (Jolly et al. 2015, 6).
Moreover, the simplicity of the capture, combined with the hand-torn paper and alternative darkroom processing reflect tensions between objectivity and subjectivity, which in turn reflect my aesthetic responses to lived experience. Further, the chemical process transforms the somewhat ordinary landscape of conventional photography, offering points of entry into the unknown.
As with abstract painting, knowledge of the craft and proficiency in the conventional execution of techniques and strategies – such as composition, exposure settings and the inherent qualities of base materials, including film and substrates – is essential before understanding how to exploit and debase the rules of the medium that reflect intent and purpose to achieve successful results in the final works of art.
Installing Respite for my third Studio 2 group critique
Print information: Zo Damage, Respite, 2022, unique gelatin silver print on hand-cut paper, installation (approx) 1900x1200mm, sheet size (approx) 370x370mm x 15 sheets exposed from a single 35mm negative, and hand-painted individually with developer to bring out the image
Figure 1. Respite, 2022, unique gelatin silver print on hand-cut paper, created from single 35mm exposure with each sheet hand brushed to develop the prints, installation (approx) 1900x1200mm, sheet size (approx) 370x370mm x 15 sheets
Figure 2. Group crit notes, 2022
Figure 3. Group crit notes, 2022
Figure 4. Group crit notes, 2022
Bibliography
Damage, Zo. 2022. “Installing Respite”. Zo Damage. October 28, 2022. YouTube video, 00:38. https://youtu.be/i8BIjO87Jio.