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Arts & Communication Creativity and cyanotype: Camera-less photography

At the beginning of the project, cyanotype was Acknowledgments
considered a good technique used in small spaces due to
its adaptability as it does not require a dark room. It was The authors express their sincere gratitude to the
envisioned that students could work on cyanotypes from following schools and organizations for their invaluable
the comfort of their own bedrooms or laundry rooms if assistance during this research: Casa Taller Comuna,
their interest continued after the workshop. However, it LaBArte 344, Universidad de las Artes, Jornadas
Permanentes de Educación Popular, and ComunHilar.
was somewhat unexpected to find ourselves conducting They also acknowledge the support and encouragement
classes in the middle of a field (as shown in Figure 2), of their family and friends during this challenging
under the shade of a tree, and without any infrastructure. journey.
This situation highlighted the remarkable flexibility of the
cyanotype process, as it can be performed in open spaces Funding
without the need for basic utilities such as electricity and
water. This project was financially supported by National Council
of Science and Technology (grant no. 792026).
Throughout the project, several modifications had to be
made to address challenges and adapt specific elements of Conflict of interest
the curriculum that proved to be less efficient in practice. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
This need for adaptation arose primarily due to the unique
conditions of the workshop venues. When teaching Author contributions
cyanotype to students, the instructor must consider the
venue, the weather conditions, the age of the students, Conceptualization: All authors
etc., because it is necessary to adapt the process to the Formal analysis: Anubis Mendez
environment and not the other way around. Investigation: Anubis Mendez
Methodology: All authors
We found that cyanotype is a valuable alternative to Writing – original draft: Anubis Mendez
traditional darkrooms, suitable for integration into both Writing – review & editing: All authors
formal and informal art education, given the central
points: its low cost, its creative potential, and the fact Ethics approval and consent to participate
that the chemicals used do not present a health risk to its This research was supervised and approved by the
practitioners. The workshops also revealed that ideally, Department of Master Degrees from Autonomous
instructors should start training with a demonstration of University of Aguascalientes. All subjects gave their
the process using a pre-exposed image to preliminarily informed consent verbally and were asked to give
provide the students with a basic and instantaneous written consent while signing up for the class before they
knowledge of the technique. Later, the instructor should participated in the project. The protocol was approved
review and discuss the theoretical-conceptual part of by the academic council of Autonomous University of
the cyanotype process through a visual presentation, Aguascalientes.
encouraging discussion among the students on the
images presented. Finally, a series of exercises should be Consent for publication
administered to test the students, followed by a discussion
of the artwork created collectively by the students. All participants gave their verbal and written consent to
show the images of their artworks in this publication.
The versatility of cyanotype, in terms of physical spaces
and techniques, facilitates learning, allowing students Availability of data
to grasp the process and even teach it to other people. It The original thesis (in Spanish) on which the paper is
captures the imagination of the students and inculcates based can be accessed at: http://bdigital.dgse.uaa.mx:8080/
an interest in experimentation, inviting them to elaborate xmlui/handle/11317/2565
artwork based on their personal tastes and experiences.
Cyanotype processes are highly affordable given the low The digital gallery can be accessed at: https://
cost of the required materials and can be adapted to a anubismendezestudio.pixieset.com/dialogosenazul
variety of settings, from homes and studios to public or
natural environments since specialized equipment is not Further disclosure
required. The non-toxic nature of the materials is a clear This article is part of Anubis Mendez’s Master of Arts degree
sign that cyanotype poses no health risks when handled dissertation submitted to the Autonomous University of
properly, thus necessitating minimal supervision. Aguascalientes, Mexico. The full thesis, in the Spanish

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1453