Acrobats
Project name: Acrobats
Date: May 2008
Quantity Produced: 6
Production Time: 2 months
Print Method: Intaglio
Paper Stock: Copperplate
Number of Colours: 4-colour process
Dimensions: 8 x 6"
Description: Through the process of researching 19th century circus posters, the idea of reproducing the imagery using a modern method of printmaking on a fragile medium seemed irresistible.
This image, Female trapeze acrobats at circus, was initially created around 1890 as a hand-colored lithograph by the Calvert Litho. Company in, Detroit, Michigan.
The image was separated into its process colours as a halftone series, and the plates developed using ImagOn™ ULTRA Film. Rather than backing the photosensitive film on a copper plate or similarly rigid surface, the material was adhered to a thin sheet of transparency film.
The image was separated into its process colours as a halftone series, and the plates developed using ImagOn™ ULTRA Film. Rather than backing the photosensitive film on a copper plate or similarly rigid surface, the material was adhered to a thin sheet of transparency film.
By using a weak material as a backing, the photosensitive film deteriorated with each print, essentially turning the edition of prints into a time-based series. This process was juxtaposed with the concept of high-quality lithography, reducing the original image into its lowest, mass-produced, and broken form.
