Re-enchanted Images

Abstract

The focus of this thesis lies on the combination of practices connected to colour extraction as well as alternative photographic processes; these two historically and artistically important crafts have strongly influenced each other throughout the course of history. The combination of both is a very particular phenomenon, and poses questions related to lightfastness, fixation, application processes, and photosensitive reactions, all of which have a long history in both photography and dyeing as well as pigment extraction. While focusing on the photographic applications of natural pigments, historical developments of the same (to include various methods of combination pioneered and utilised by artists and scientists), this thesis will also provide an overview of the chemical and molecular properties of various natural and artificial pigments. The subjects discussed will illustrate the connection between ancient techniques of colour extraction and more recent photographic processes innovated and developed in the nineteenth century, both of which are currently experiencing a popular resurgence on a global scale. Additionally, the last part of this thesis will take into account the disenchantment of society and the connections that can be drawn to the decline of artisan crafts, as well as their replacement by mass production. This part is kept short, as the broadness of these subjects provides enough material to write a thesis on its own about; rather, it focuses on the specific connections to artisan practices and their rise and fall. This thesis will provide a framework and a source for artists looking to engage with alternative methods of combining both natural colours and photography and can, therefore, also serve as a technical manual as well as a collection of historical accounts and records.