Commission exhibition: Printing & Hanging Research

I have begun looking into a series of issues regarding the way I will print and hang my series of images in the commission exhibition alongside the other people's work in my group. 

1. I really want my images to be extremely detailed and vibrant, as the items of clothing featured in my images are delicate which I want to emphasise especially when talking about them being wasted and hidden away to deteriorate; as well as the beautiful detail I want to highlight the dirt and tears that they have accumulated through the years. I have been inspired by the work of Adam Fuss, who although does photograms creates a feeling of fragility and incredible detail.

Adam Fuss

I first started looking at different surfaces to print on to, I initially considered whether to print on to a matte, lustre or glossy finished paper or whether to print on a metallic paper.

I researched different the different surfaces and found out the factors for each of them; I think matte would be too dull whereas glossy paper would be too shiny although it does reveal more detail than matte and lustre paper. I also found that lustre is usually only used on portraiture so I feel this is not the effect I wish to create; however I found that metallic paper is very different. The photo is developed on laminated paper which produces a kind of iridescent quality which creates a much sharper image with life-like depth and extreme detail. Also due to the fact that I do not plan to frame my images and therefore will be exposed to the elements, the laminated layers create a tough print unlikely to tear easily.

After doing this initial research I decided to look in to specific papers and metals. I begun by looking into Dye-sub aluminium, which gives a pure mirror high gloss finish which is very rigid, they basically gas the special dyesub inks into the subsurface of the final material, leaving it perfectly smooth. The site Bayphoto.com, who specialise in printing on metals, was recommended for this process, on the site the description is as follows:

MetalPrints™ represent a new art medium for preserving photos by infusing dyes directly into specially coated aluminum sheets. Because the image is infused into the surface and not on it, your images will take on an almost magical luminescence. Metal Prints are available in 4 different surfaces: High Gloss, Satin, and Sheer with a Glossy or Matte finish. You've never seen a more brilliant and impressive print! Colors are vibrant and the luminescence is breathtaking. Detail and resolution are unsurpassed. To compliment this unique printing method, we have also developed a variety of ultra-modern ways to hang and display your Metal Prints.

Dye-sub aluminium print

I really like the look of this printing style and Bay photo can print up to 40x60 inches in size which is perfect for me as I want my prints as close to life-size as possible to emphasise the life-like depth that will come with printing on to this surface. Each print from this company would cost just over £300 each for the 40x60 inch.

I also looked at Kodak Metallic Photo Paper, this also gives an ultra smooth high gloss finish however it can only be produced using RA-4 processes but I have found that 'the print space' offers printing on this paper. The end result is a rich saturation and vibrant colours, due to it being a transparent emulsion it allows the silver metal base colour to show through creating a metallic look. 

Kodak Metallic Photo Paper

The next option I discovered was coated inkjet metal which can vary in quality as the ink is laying on top of the media therefore is difficult to handle and needs a lot of post processing; a smooth finish is only achieved through coating the surface after printing. So although I feel this is a technique that would be interesting and give a brilliant result I don't think it would be right for the exhibition.

Coated Inkjet Metal

The final printing surface option I have researched is Polar Pearl Metallic paper which gives the closest result to the look of photo lab metallic prints. It has a high gloss finish and a pearlescent base stock which creates an elegant iridescence to the image; this paper is compatible with any inkjet printer and requires no special equipment to achieve the metallic effect.

Polar Pearl Metallic

After looking at a few different options I particularly like the Dye-sub aluminium and kodak metallic photo paper, however I plan to discuss these ideas with the rest of the group and see if we can come to an agreement as to whether we will all print on similar surfaces or completely different ones. Although, I have discussed with Ollie the idea of printing on a metallic paper which he is also very keen on doing for the exhibition.


2. Again as I have previously mentioned I am very keen on producing and displaying life-like, life-size images therefore the size of my prints is quite important however I do realise the limitation there are. Through my previous research I have found that the biggest most places will print is 40x60 inches which I feel is a large enough size for my prints to be confrontational and detailed enough. Although again I will discuss my ideas with the group when we look at the scale model and figure out work placing. I have taken inspiration from an exhibition I went to titled 'Shadowcatchers: Camera-less photography' which due to the images all being photograms are often very large; I found this gave a great impact on the audience and emphasised the detail in the subject matter.

Floris Neususs

3. So far I have figured out that I do not wish to frame my images, I had considered framing them in box like structures to give a confined look however I have now decided I want to images to blend in with the surrounding as if unimportant, forgotten items contradicted by the large size. In the Shadowcatchers exhibition the images were often mounted unframed onto black walls which isolates them and exaggerates the subject due to the black background of the image blending in with the wall.

Shadowcatchers exhibition space

Due to my images having black backgrounds I have very this very inspiring and have considered this as black is a very isolated, claustrophobic colour which would emphasise our theme. I do not know whether we could do this in the location due to the age of the property though, I will discuss in my group whether we would consider the use of partition walls in which case black ones could be an option.

I also like the idea of having some of my images together in a small confined space/room to create the feeling of them being tucked away, not needed anymore; but also isolating some of the images in corridors, at the end of them as if haunting the space, traces of them all around you. By having the dresses floating in black space at the end of a corridor a ghostly effect is created for the audience which could be interesting to play with as there is one corridor and two staircases at this location.

I started to think about ways I could hang unframed images, and I discovered an interesting technique which could work well with the location we have chosen. The use of bulldog clips intrigues me, they are a sort of reusable item which contradicts the thrown away, wasted items in the image. By putting one on each corner this would allow me to hang the image from existing nails at the location or even threading fishing wire through the loops and
hanging them from the ceiling.
 

This make-do look is interesting and eye-catching emphasising this idea that very expensive, important looking dresses aren't being cared for anymore and are being treated like waste.


4. I like the idea of having small pieces of handwritten notes from each of the dresses owner next to or underneath the images to create a connection between the audience and the subject in the image as well as the dislocated owner. I think that Lily and Ollie also plan to do this with subjects being Uncle and Dad, to allow the voyeuristic audience to be let a little into their lives.
I also like the way the information of each photograph in the above exhibition has been written on a business card with a hole punched through it and hung on a pin.

 I think having all of our bits of hand written notes pinned in some way to the walls on their original pieces of paper would look interesting and complement our theme.


5. Because the location we have chosen has very limited lighting we must consider bringing lighting into the space and although I don't think we want anything to invasive I am particularly keen on a certain idea. I like the look of having spotlights trained on each individual image to isolate them; no other lights other than safety lights would be on which would create a dark space surrounding the images. 

I found this example of lighting which I was very enthused by, in corridors I feel this would look really nice on a single image; and I also think this type of lighting would look good on the other's work as they're all about isolation and I think their photographs should be viewed as separate entities.
Due to limited plug sockets we would need to figure out how we would do this however there has been exhibitions in the space in previous years so I am sure we would figure these issues out.

6. In terms of a theme title we have begun considering ideas for example reading through the notes that have been made by our relatives and looking for a quote which relates to our theme and could head our whole exhibition; however we will continue to decide this when we meet later in the week.