They know not what they do
in Process
Going, gone
in Process
I’ve been experimenting with different ways of erasing photographs. I recently left one of the experiments running too long, and when I came back to it the image had completely disappeared. Now I’m thinking about the value of the photograph without the image it once carried. Has the value now been transferred to the image of the photograph before being erased? After all, the “photograph” is now just an old bit of card. The image lives on in a different form, albeit as just a record of what used to be. Although, the same could be said for the original photograph.
The photograph before being erased.
The photograph in the process of being erased.
The photograph after being erased.
Film decay experiment
in Process
35mm slides in the process of being decomposed by fungus. The emulsion layers have been acted upon by the fungus at different rates, creating new combinations and colours that were never part of the original photo. The hyphae from the fungus give texture to the clouds of dye.
Carte De Visite - C. Dyke, Bristol
in Process
Studio Visit - Laura McCartney
Photos from a recent studio visit to see Laura McCartney’s latest ceramic works.
Read More25/06/19
in Process
Radiant hopes, in bloom
in Process
Flying in the same direction
in Process
Pinned greenbottle flies (Lucilia sericata)
35mm slide decay
in Process
35mm slide before
35mm slide after
Dermestid damage
in Process
Since I was young I’ve been collecting insect specimens. Part of preparing the specimens for display involves spreading them out in the desired position, held in place with pins, until they dry/set in that position. Once they are set, they can be transferred to display/storage cases which are tightly sealed and contain camphor (a strong-smelling insect repellant) which helps keep them safe and in good condition.
Dermestid beetle exuviae
Whilst going through a box of old things in the attic, I found a cigar box in which I used to set specimens. However in the years since I had opened the box, all the specimens had disappeared. They had been eaten by dermestid beetles, a common pest in insect collections. The box is now filled with the beetles’ exuviae and droppings, while the pinned insects are now just dust.
Dermestid beetle frass and insect pins
Pinning insects is an attempt to press the Pause button right after death, to stave off decay and freeze an object in time. In this case nature has secretly pressed the Play button while I wasn’t looking.
Dust clouds where pinned insects used to be