Art and science are inextricably linked. The history of photography is a case-in-point, with 19th century botanist Anna Atkins credited as publishing the first photobook in 1843. She used the cyanotype process, a camera-less technique that involved laying different kinds of algae onto chemically-treated paper before exposing them to UV sunlight. The result: a stunning white image cast against a Prussian blue backdrop. It’s where the term “blueprint” comes from. Nearly 200 years have passed, but there’s still mystery around these processes. Marta Djourina (b. 1991) strips it back, experimenting with how natural and artificial light affects photo-sensitive media. She traces movements, gestures and objects onto analogue paper; the results are dynamic, where yellow slashes through black, purple folds into blue and red rectangles resemble a Mark Rothko painting. Djourina’s projects span small format pictures to monumental scrolls that extend upwards of six-metres-high. martadjourina.com
All images: Marta Djourina, Untitled, from the series Folds, (2020-2023). Repros by Marie Mergler, André Carvalho and Tugba Carvalho – CHROMA.
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