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HERBARIUM - BLUE PRINTS (1980)

ARTIST'S NOTES

BRIEF HISTORY This project was born out of the desire to break some rules and expand my photographic language, leading to new and unsuspected visual possibilities in photography. Since 1975 I felt in love with this research on alternative photographic processes with or without silver. Firstly researching the new possibilities of Xerography (dry copies) through the newly appeared photocopy machines, namely Xerox, Hubix, 3M, etc.. Later I worked with Cyanotipes, Vandyke Brown, the Xerox Halloid Camera, Polaroid, Quick Print, Diazo Paper, etc... This interest was later continued through the research of the new and revolutionary possibilities of digital image, from 1987 to 1990, using the CCD of the Desktop Scanners (recently appeared in the market) as “photographic lens” when connected to a Macintosh computer.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION The 15 photograms in this series were made with conventional diazzo paper, which was then used by architects and engineers to copy, duplicate and replicate their technical drawings. This photo sensitive materials could be purchased in paper boxes in A4 format similar to that I used, or paper roll with widths and varying lengths. Besides being used by design offices, this material is still (1986) used in the Graphic Arts to make "dummies" by contact print of the outputs in film, which are made for the last corrections before offset printing. In Portugal it is called ozalides, and the U.S. are Blue Prints. This paper is not equally sensitive to the complete light expectre. It is more sensitive to the ultra violet radiation towards the limits of visible light. It features a paper with positive/positive characteristics, being the results monochromatic and high contrast in shades of dark blue and violet blue. This paper has a sensitivity of less than 1 ASA and is developed in ammonia vapors. Being an organic material, even archived in the best conditions, in almost 35 years this body of work lost much of its original strength and color. I made in 1980 some records on Kodachrome that were used for scanning or chromatic reference. There is an ambiguity resulting from the aging of the material itself that also bears a certain "beauty" ...

PROJECT Ultimately it was not the simple technology and the ammonia smell that led me to this body of work. On the one hand as this was very inexpensive process compared to the rising cost of photo silver paper, made its use very attractive. On the other side I had already used it with very beautiful results, exploring the presentation of photocopiers generated transparencies. Was the tonal range between blues and violets blues, sometimes contrasting, sometimes subtly luminous and matte, which excited me to continue. The spring that overwhelmingly erupted in Rochester on one side, with the energy that I breathed, and secondly with the beauty of the gushing sap made color, led me to try and develop this Photograms/Chemiograms project. The sap and pollen from the flowers mixed with the light and with the emulsion of diazzo paper, an etching press, sometimes generating on a monochrome support surprising organic colored photo-chemiograms. The resulting prints, the conclusion of an intense manuality and enthusiasm, gave me a huge creative pleasure.
This project was fully made in 1980 at RIT, Rochester, NY. Was first exhibited in the Gallery JN, Porto, 3-24 June in collaboration with the American Culture Cycle 1983.

THANKS

Bea Nettles, for her encouragement, support, example, friendship, then and always...
Floris Neussus, who in 1983 wanted to include an image from this project in his book on photograms and cameraless photography ...

Júlio de Matos, 2006