Bryony Bedggood
Flora and Fauna have always held a fascination for me, one that can be explored in so many different ways. As a child I foraged on the many beach and hill walks with my Dad, and I'd arrive home with pockets full and the footwell of the car littered with found treasures - nothing much has changed!
The work in this exhibition has taken me away from my usual mode of creativity which is usually drawn to the more intricate details of nature. With Cyanotypes there is a wild alchemy at play which has forced me to let go and just follow the process.
Cyanotype printing is an old form of photography that dates back to the 1840’s. It involves treating the substrate with a special printing solution, adding subject matter then introducing ultraviolet light to develop an image. The whole process is quite unstable, which I love!
I still have elements of control, where I've added structure with watercolour graphite and ink or altered the printing solution and levels of exposure to sunlight. The rest is up to the natural chemistry of the plants.
Working with the seasons, both in terms of light and specimens, there is an element of fragility, that time is of the essence, and this can take a piece in unexpected directions, revealing endless possibilities.
