I have hated being stuck indoors. With no garden and vulnerable health, I haven't been able to get outside much during the lockdown. I haven't been able to explore Cornwall with my husband and make memories of our adventures, but I have been able to remember. While I haven't been able to do everything that I had hoped to for this project, I have had the opportunity to reminisce, and I have been able to create some work that helps me experience those memories again.
Much of what I set out to do, I could still accomplish - albeit with slight alterations. I was able to create some cyanotypes on the beach before lockdown started, and I managed to complete the rest of my cyanotypes at home using sand from my wedding. This extra personal connection to my work only added a layer of sentimentality and purpose to it. The larger prints were created in the car park outside my flat, but the smaller ones were made in my kitchen with a UV lamp. This meant that I didn't have to deal with changeable weather and uncertain exposure times, which has given my book of cyanotypes some consistency throughout. Some of these prints didn't wash out fully and a slight cloudiness has remained where it shouldn't, but I don't mind this. After all, Meghann Riepenhoff often leaves her prints completely or partially unfixed, which gives her work a dynamic characteristic.
I was unable to travel to beaches around Cornwall and experiment with the geological differences of the north and south coast on cyanotypes, and I was disappointed that I couldn't go out to take new pictures of the coast. To include a variety of memories in this project, I decided to use photos I have taken over the last few years. This has the added benefit of being a snapshot of some of those important memories, so incorporating these images suits the theme of my work well. I knew I couldn't simply upload some old pictures to submit, so I edited all of them in Photoshop - some slightly, and some more extensively. In the example below, I managed to remove a person from the foreground and some railings on the top left. This is the first time I have ever done it, and I feel it is quite a successful edit.
As I couldn't run as many experiments as I wanted with my cyanotypes, I sought other ways to be creative. Susan Derges' work with watergrams had inspired me as they captured the movement of water, but I didn't know how I would create these photograms at home with no darkroom chemistry. I felt that purchasing an entire set was a bit excessive, so I set about looking for alternatives. I knew you could tone cyanotypes with tea and coffee, so I started my search there, and soon found caffenol-c. The ingredients I didn't already have to hand were easy enough to pick up on my next trip to the supermarket, so I thought I'd give it a go. It was great fun, and the developer gave fantastic results. The fix, however, wasn't so effective. I had read that leaving your prints in a strong saltwater bath overnight was enough to fix them, but over the course of a few weeks, the prints have gradually turned more pink. Luckily, I scanned the watergrams before they had changed much, and have digitally preserved their initial appearance. I wanted these watergrams to be instantly recognisable as water, so I altered the colours in Photoshop to similar blue tones found in the cyanotypes. Even though I was happy with the final result of these home-developed watergrams, I didn't feel they adequately drew me in to an experience of the seaside, so I decided not to include them in my range of final products.
What I did include, however, was both sheets of fabric. I created these cyanotypes on the beach, and they are the epitome of what I was trying to accomplish with my work. The footprints pull you in and help you imagine the feeling of sand between your toes. The range of blue tones and whites marbling together create an impression of swirling water and crashing waves. Finally, the simple fact that they were created organically in a place attached to a memory makes them all the more special. The large paper cyanotypes, though made at home, also successfully incorporate water and texture and transport you to the beach. I am delighted with these, and disappointed that I am unable to display them in the planned exhibition due to the coronavirus. I would love to create more of these with a range of techniques.
The other main aspect of my set of final products is the two bound books I made. I had a little trouble in making these, mostly because of my lack of practice and blunt craft knife. Most of the trimming is rough and imperfect. However, I am still proud of these books and how they showcase some of my best photographs, both with and without a camera. I enjoyed shopping for binding materials and creating my own tangible products.
If I didn't have the restrictions I faced due to the lockdown, there is much more that I would have explored. However, I feel that the alterations I have made to my plan and the work I have completed at home also fits my intention of transporting the audience to the beach, helping those with difficulties in visualisation experience their memories in an almost tangible way. I have enjoyed this project, not just for the creative outlet, but also for the memories I have returned to and been able to share with my husband. We have become closer through the lockdown - remembering old adventures and planning new ones has only helped with that.
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