This version of the Blue Swimmer project consisted of twelve 9’ x 6’ cyanotypes installed in four shopfronts on Market St., in downtown Newark, NJ as part of the Activate Market Street program put on by Gallery Aferro.
The cyanotypes feature life-sized swimmers, suspended in a field of deep blue. The pieces explore the process of looking at an image and trying to translate it into action. Each image is made as an attempt to mimic a photograph from an old manual of competitive swimming techniques. No matter how carefully the model is posed on the UV-sensitive fabric, there is always a discrepancy between the “rule” of the instructional image and the "experience" captured in the image. The vagaries of the process: the position of the sun, humidity and temperature, all contribute to making the finished result uniquely unpredictable.
