Collotype
These collotypes were made in Tempe, Arizona, in 2009 by Megan Chain and were printed on a Vandercook letterpress on Canson 50 g paper. The images were created in the Phoenix area while dealing with the recent loss of several family members. The process of photographing and printing became a kind of communication with those who are no longer present. The title, Cumarsaid, is the Gaelic word for communication and unless you speak Gaelic, the title is incomprehensible thus creating a lack of communication.
Collotype is a complex process. It went through many developments in the late 19th century but then declined in the 20th century due to the rise of more economical printing techniques. Currently, there are few functioning facilities dedicated to collotype. James Hajicek taught the technique, which is described below, used to make these collotypes.
A piece of Efke print film is sensitized by soaking it in a dichromate solution. After this piece of film dries, it and a black and white negative are exposed to ultra-violet light. The exposure hardens the gelatin on the Efke film in proportion to the amount of light admitted by the negative. The Efke film is then attached to a piece of glass creating the printing plate to print on a Vandercook letterpress. The plate is inked manually by rolling the rollers onto the plate. Once the inked plate looks good to print, or inked well, then a piece of paper is rolled on top of the glass. The hardened gelatin allows the ink to produce continuous tones on the plate, which is then transferred to the paper.
Collotype is a complex process. It went through many developments in the late 19th century but then declined in the 20th century due to the rise of more economical printing techniques. Currently, there are few functioning facilities dedicated to collotype. James Hajicek taught the technique, which is described below, used to make these collotypes.
A piece of Efke print film is sensitized by soaking it in a dichromate solution. After this piece of film dries, it and a black and white negative are exposed to ultra-violet light. The exposure hardens the gelatin on the Efke film in proportion to the amount of light admitted by the negative. The Efke film is then attached to a piece of glass creating the printing plate to print on a Vandercook letterpress. The plate is inked manually by rolling the rollers onto the plate. Once the inked plate looks good to print, or inked well, then a piece of paper is rolled on top of the glass. The hardened gelatin allows the ink to produce continuous tones on the plate, which is then transferred to the paper.