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, each suspended in a field of deep blue. The cyanotypes are made as an exploration of what it means to look at an image and translate it into action. Each piece is an attempt to mimic a photograph from an old manual of competitive swimming techniques. No matter how carefully I position myself on the UV-sensitive fabric, there is always a discrepancy between the “rule” of the instructional image and what I am doing. The vagaries of the process: the position of the sun, humidity and temperature, all contribute to making the image that results uniquely unpredictable.
