Soaking papers

Working ‘flat’ is a method I use to encourage water and pigments

to create another perspective. The immediacy of turning the image

around allows the creation of other perspectives. At water sites, I have

soaked papers collecting sediments as the water sits or flows over its

surface. In the studio, pigments and other fluids can wash and settle,

allowing some control of direction and movement.

I imagine flow and movement where large bodies of water are

moving, permeating, seeping into one another. Soaking paper in cement troughs and overhead tanks

allows small isopods and insects to crawl over the paper, moving sediment

across the surface. Certain rivers like the Maranoa have

residues and sediments of iron that leave a transparent ochre stain on the

surface.

Leaving the paper to the elements over night or

sometimes for several days, obviously has its risks, however it does allow the

image to grow spontaneously without a preconceived plan. It is also a means

through which the paper can connect directly with the physical elements of

the sites.