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Arts & Communication Creativity and cyanotype: Camera-less photography

The Viñedos Rivier community is located at the north At first, our interest was solely focused on obtaining
part of the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico, adjacent to data through the pieces made during the workshops.
Highway 45, known for its constant traffic of both small and However, several students contacted us and requested
heavy vehicles. The non-profit organization, ComunHilar, more information on how to purchase chemicals and
is currently working on creating a photographic archive transparencies to continue creating cyanotype artwork.
to preserve the essence and memory of the place, because This led to logging a larger number of pieces during the
the community is at risk of being absorbed by the city and development of this project. The additional artwork
that their customs and the cultural activities taking place performed by some of the students resulted in more
in their rural environment are vulnerable to inevitable complex cyanotype pieces, as the students had more time to
decline. meditate on their designs. We observed that these students
seemed to develop a fair grasp of the technique thanks to
This 3-h class was particularly unique for several the workshop, as well as an understanding of some of the
reasons. First, due to the exploratory and physical nature of creative possibilities they could potentially explore.
the learning process, we did not recruit elderly in the class
on the grounds of health concerns. Second, the workshop Some of the results obtained are presented below.
had to be conducted in the middle of a field, which has The artwork shows the students’ physical and conceptual
no access to water or any other utilities. This lack of water explorations achieved in the classroom, their particular
issue was resolved by, similar to previous workshop, interests, as well as their own observations and meditations.
bringing a jug filled with water, which was enough for the Some pieces which were completed after the workshop
entire workshop. are included in this presentation as well. In both cases,
it is worth noting that some of the materials used by the
The open environment during this workshop made the students were not covered in the class.
project challenging as the chemicals used in cyanotype The first piece is a self-portrait (on the left side, Figure 3).
have low light sensitivity. This was alleviated by emulsifying Digital manipulation of the negative can be immediately
the papers very carefully since they can be easily ruined by appreciated, which modifies the initial meaning of the
the light in the surroundings (Figure 2). As a solution, a images, giving them a fictitious but no less relevant nature.
dark box was improvised where the sheets were left to dry. On one side, a fragment of the student’s face, illuminated
Subsequently, the students created their cyanotype artwork with a lot of light, is shown. There is skin texture, facial
without encountering significant issues. hair, and folds in some parts of the portrait, which have

At the end of the workshop, a large-format cyanotype great detail. A close-up of the individual is displayed on
was created, and all members of the group participated the other side, in a contrasting area with deeply marked
(Figure 2). This activity was particularly engaging for shadows and midtones. The treatment of the image could
the senior students, allowing them to socialize and be closely linked to drawing or illustration, giving it
collaboratively produce a unified image without specific properties that are different from photography. The self-
guidance from the instructor. When observing the final portrait can be seen as an introspective work, with the blue
result, one of the participants said with great confidence tones evoking feelings of loneliness and nostalgia.
“We made good art.” In the second piece (on the right side, Figure 3), the
silhouettes of everyday objects can be appreciated. In the
4. Cyanotype as a camera-less creative background, water was used to wash out the piece to obtain
process textures and bright shades of blue, accentuated by the
Over 400 pieces of artwork using the cyanotype process
were created throughout the five workshops. It is worth
mentioning that the students kept their originals.
Cyanotype as a creative process was attractive to most
participants, and social connections were generated within
the community. Working together with this technique
promoted conversations among the students about their
own self-discovery, experience, and creative process. The
playful properties of the technique allow for exploration,
giving the students the opportunity to compare their
results, despite the fact that the same materials were used
for the creation of the images. Figure 3. Cyanotypes on recycled paper, 2022.

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1453