Positive - Negative. Experiments with ambrotypes

At the time when I'm writing this (23.07.2011) there is an interesting exhibition taking place in Dublin, called Chasing Shadows 2. It is dedicated to 19th century photographic processes and gathers together artists photographers, who are using them. Presented processes are, among others, cyanotypes, Van Dykes, Palladium, and four projects (including mine) use wet plate collodion.

Very shortly before the exhibition, knowing that there's going to be more collodion works presented,(and as always having problem to choose from my existing works), I decided to experiment with the way of presenting clear glass ambrotypes and also to make some new ones.

I end up with a play: Positive - Negative. I concentrated on this specific feature of ambrotypes and mounted my works with a distance to the background, on which I painted with black paint only the chosen areas, leaving the rest on white, as underexposed negative.

This play created kind of a three dimensional effect. I think it also encourages the viewer to closer examination, exploration with different angles and ..imagination.
I think I might experiment more with different backgrounds and layers in the future. (i.e different photographs..)

oryginals scanned with black bacground:

scan of already mounted works:

on the wall:

Exhibition information:

18 July 2011 - 31 July 2011 

Centre for Creative Practices

15 Lower Pembroke Street

Dublin, Ireland

The photographers involved include: Claudi Nir, Louis Haugh, Kamile Matulaityte, Ian Mitton, Jamie Maxwell, Dominic Turner, Meave O'Neill, Caitriona Dunnett, Gwen Wilkinson, Kasia Kesicka, Orla O’Brien, Alison Baker Kerrigan, Monica Fabijanczyk, Jason Lowe, Niamh Raftery, Monika Chmielarz, Dominique Beyens, Adrian Reilly and Lucy Nuzum.

http://www.chasingshadows.org/description2.html