Photo-based artist Christine Fitzgerald has been working with the River Institute to photograph species at risk using historical photographic technologies. Join Christine and make your own river-inspired cyanotypes using light sensitive paper. The resulting images will be arranged as a large-scale collage and installed on a wall indoors to review and discuss in the context of conservation efforts.

In this workshop, photographs will be created from the most basic elements on earth – water from the St. Lawrence River, light from the sun and minerals from the land for the light-sensitive emulsion used. Several cyanotypes will be created by placing botanical and other specimens directly onto the surface of paper that will be coated with an environmentally safe light-sensitive emulsion ahead of time. An attempt will be made to construct a photo-based photographic collage that depicts specimens representing the key health indicators of the river’s ecosystem (riverrapport.ca).  A proposed composition for the art piece will be discussed led by the artist to facilitate the process and to provide a blueprint – referencing the historical photographic process used for the project – cyanotype printing popular in the 19th century as a reprography technology (“blueprints”). 

Learn more about Christine here.