Photosynthetic Portraits
Artist’s Statement
This is a project for a future installation dealing with the Buddhist teaching of impermanence.
Having made a long list of people I admire, I transfer their images to leaves using chlorophyll and photosynthesis.
The leaves will be scattered and carpet the gallery floor. As all the people presented are no longer living, they are like fallen leaves. The only thing that remains are the fruits of their creative labor.
They will be viewed, displaced by feet and walked on. Over time the leaves will crack, break and fall apart reinforcing the message of impermanence. This also hints at the Buddhist teaching of detachment.
My process—
Using an old process of chlorophyll printing, I print the image onto acetate and overlay this on the leaf. It is then sandwiched between glass panels and placed in direct contact with sunlight.
Over time the image is transferred to the leaf through photosynthesis. I then blanch them with sodium bicarbonate which halts the photosynthesis from progressing. They are then treated with glycerin and copper sulfate to stabilize them. I don’t attempt to chemically preserve them, as I want them to remain fragile and prone to breaking.
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