the process

Processes, techniques and materials used in my work

I am a visual artist, born in the foothills of the Acropolis in Athens, a vibrant gathering place of philosophers and artists for thousands of years. I am deeply passionate about the myths and archetypes of my cultural heritage and return repeatedly to sacred archeological sites to explore themes of metamorphosis, fragility and impermanence.

I use vintage, medium-format film cameras to capture images. I love the austerity of the square film format and how the manual controls of the Rolleiflex camera force me to slow down and pay attention to the composition in total concentration and silence. I print my images as platinum/palladium prints on rare Gampi papers handmade by master Japanese craftsmen. The papers are thin and translucent with a smooth surface that glows.

For my installations, I take the prints out of frames and float them on silk threads from the gallery ceilings. The platinotypes come alive as they flutter and move when viewers walk by. My recent work has unfolded as a trilogy; two completed parts, in the form of artists’ books and platinum prints, have been presented in six solo shows in Europe and in the United States.

platinum printing

I use 19th century photographic processes (primarily platinum/palladium printing) to define and express my voice and vision. At the same time, I have a true passion for interdisciplinary work and for combining the beauty and permanence of historic photographic processes, film photography and the power and precision of digital imaging.

For Fragmented Light, after lengthy experimentation I chose a photographic process and identified the right kind of paper that is compatible with the process and aesthetic intent. Finally, I settled on Platinotype and on the rare, translucent, handmade Japanese paper, Gampi. This combination of process and materials became a favorite for most subsequent work.

Platinum printing offers tremendous expressive power and archival value. When done correctly, it yields one-of-a kind prints of an unusual monochromatic beauty, a luxurious range of tones and a unique visual presence. While in traditional black and white fine-art photographs, the image appears to “float” on the surface of the paper, with these alternative processes the image is fused with the fibers of the paper, it becomes an integral part of it. This results in a different visual aesthetic, further enhanced by the lusciousness, and tactile sensuality of traditional and rare fine art papers.

The methodology I follow reflects an eclectic mix of photographic techniques spanning three centuries of photography. The photographs are taken with a medium format camera using black and white film. Image processing and the creation of enlarged negatives rely on the use of digital technologies. I scan the film-based negatives, correct defects, adjust tonality before printing the negatives from digital files.

Platinum printing is labor intensive, chemically complicated, and time consuming. To render the paper photosensitive, I coat it with a precise combination of noble metals (platinum and palladium) in solution. This solution is applied to the paper using a glass rod and a Japanese hake brush. A negative the size of the final print is placed over the photosensitized paper, within a specially constructed contact printing frame. The frame with the paper and the negative are then exposed to ultraviolet light. When the image appears, specific steps are followed to complete the process of developing, clearing, and rinsing. The print dries and the sensitive Japanese paper maintains its internal glow and characteristic texture.

the lure of washi

I have a true passion for rare, handmade papers which I consider an integral part of the aesthetic and emotional interpretation of my images. My favorite paper is made from the fibers of the Gampi bush. This plant produces paper that is translucent, with superlative beauty and a smooth surface that glows. It is fragile, yet incredibly strong. I feel as if this paper has its own live energy. When I am working with Gampi, it demands my total, uninterrupted concentration throughout all stages of the Platinotype process, in order to bring the vision of my images to life.

Unlike Kozo and Mitsumata, the plants used for most Japanese paper, Gampi cannot be cultivated. It grows in the wild, in the mild, mountainous regions of Japan. Harvesting stalks takes place between February and March, when they are fully hydrated; it is then easy to remove the bark without traumatizing it. The innermost white layer of the bark is used for making Gampi, after the external black layer and the middle green layer have been stripped away. The clean white strands of Gampi are bundled together and placed to dry in a cool, shady place.

For the next stage of papermaking, these strands are placed in a large tub where they are cooked for three to four hours until very soft. Chirotiri (removing of the dark spots) follows. It is a labor intensive and time-consuming process. A small amount of the cooked fiber is put into a bamboo basket floating in water and then any scar tissue, dark spots or unevenly cooked parts are removed by hand.

The Gampi fibers are then beaten on a stone using a wooden mallet. This is done so that the fibers are separated and hydrated to create smooth and homogeneous sheets of paper.

Sheet formation involves mixing water with Gampi pulp and Neri, a type of natural glue. Using a bamboo screen and a wood frame, the mixture is moved back and forth, and side to side across the mould to form the sheet. The fiber settles on the screen and the step is repeated again and again until the desired thickness is achieved. The screen with the completed sheet of paper is then removed from the mould and placed on top of other previously made sheets and left overnight to drain naturally.

Later, it is carefully pressed until approximately thirty percent of the moisture is removed. The paper is removed from the stack and placed on drying boards and taken out into the sun. The sun and wind dry and bleach the paper. In the final stage of inspection, dried sheets of Gampi are held up to the light and classified by thickness, color etc. It is now ready for use.

Two of my favorite paper mills include Echizen and Sekishu-banshi.

watermarks

Watermarks are created by attaching a form (text, graphic, symbol or pattern) directly onto the screen of the paper-making mould. This results in an image that is visibly lighter or more transparent than the surrounding paper.

For the book of whispers, I designed 24 individual watermarks, using the GFS Ignacio font, a delicate almost calligraphic font. The digital files were used to make negative films for each of the 13 folios of text and graphics.

Berlin-based papermaker Gangolf Ulbricht used a 100-year-old English mahogany mould to create the watermarks. The screen of the mould was coated with light-sensitive material in the darkroom. For each folio he exposed the screen with an overlaid negative film to ultraviolet light. The result was a matrix of hardened text or graphic; the surrounding material was carefully washed off. This matrix was used for making the required number of individual watermarked folios for the edition. Once this number was reached, the matrix was destroyed and a new one was created for the next watermarked folio.

The paper pulp was bleached flax, the same primary material used to make the linen garments of ancient Greeks.