Artwork description:

Roger Fenton was arguably the first War photographer, documenting the Crimean War, the length of his exposures mean he couldn't take any actual pictures of the conflict, but by arranging compositions of cannonballs in landscapes and photographing the men he was able to communicate the conflict in other ways.

Working from light to dark, painting each tonal layer and repeatedly dipping the plate in acid (the acid etches the area around the marks made by bitumen) is 'communication in the blind,' with nothing visible until the plate is submerged in white spirit and the varnish lifts. This manual process of concealment, erosion and revelation is viscerally evocative of the way we encounter the world of images, particularly our self-image: we construct follies of ourselves from which we can simultaneously hide and interact with the world.

Materials used:

Handmade somerset Paper

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