Lasqueti Gets Baffled!

As part of the attention the Community Hall has been receiving these last couple of years, Ian Rusconi designed a system of baffles that will make the sound in there way better. The baffles are 4'x2' and there are about 50 of them on the walls. They needed to be covered with canvas that remained porous (eg. not painted). We decided to make them beautiful and interesting and fun to look at with a process called Cyanotype.

Cynaotype is a simple printmaking technique that mixes two iron salts (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide) into a solution that then gets painted on the canvas to make it photosensitive. When exposed to UV, whatever is blocked will remain white but exposed areas will turn blue. (This same chemical process is used on paper to make blueprints.)

The great thing about cyanotype is it is very versatile. The range of what will print is huge. If something makes a shadow, it will make a print. Interesting shapes are very cool (nets, grills, pieces of metal etc.) Recognizable objects are neat too (sewing things, cooking things, tools, fabric). Things from nature are magical (leaves, flowers, stones, shells, seaweed etc.). Writing or drawing on acetate or glass with a sharpie works, photo negatives, cut out paper or cardboard stencils…you name it.

So this is a great opportunity to make a community art installation that will be a backdrop for our ongoing community gatherings, celebrations and events.

If you'd like to be a part of it start gathering your inspiration and let me, Alexa Thornton, Julia Woldmo, or Aigul know and we'll schedule you to come on a day when we are at The Arts Centre studio.

Small tip: Flat things pressed to the canvas with glass will make white prints with crisp edges, three dimensional objects will be blurrier with interesting shadows.

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