Jo Howell experiments with different applications for cyanotype photographic process.

I love experimenting. Even if it looks a bit naff, I’ll still have a go. Lately, I’ve been trying to think about cyanotype sculptural pieces again. I still feel that the project from the Bowes museum 2 years ago still has a lot of scope. I will reuse the floral sculptures and bring it together with some of the other prototypes that I have been making recently.

Twee and glib my favourite art gremlins are definitely out to play at the moment. I make completely non functional, functional looking designs. It can get confusing. So, I have been making really tiny birdhouses. Laser cut pieces of wood brought together and held in place by glue and cyanotype paper mache. They are too small for birds, and you can’t display them outside in full sunshine otherwise the designs will disappear! The blues do return once left in a dark cupboard, but you can see how un-useful the entire premise is. A too tiny birdhouse that you can’t display outside. Clever.

Anywho, they are cute and they are allowing me to think about the logistics of creating Gems of art for our Discover Brightwater #GemTrail

The blue tit house above is really small and contains some images of Durham from the beginning of the invention of photography. Early archive photographs of street life and local businesses. The birdhouses are strange objects that you want to open up to see the information inside, or to squint into the tiny windows. It’s fun and playful, and entirely addictive!

This birdhouse is bigger than the blue tit house but still entirely nonfunctional.

Let me know what you think!