Clés / Keys - Cyanotype Photograph

This is my first series using cyanotype. Using the beautiful May sunshine to print using this old technique. I particularly love the deep blue produced by the reaction with UV rays from the sun. Usually, cyanotype is used for botanic subjects and photography (printing negatives). I wanted to experiment with everyday objects and give them some symbolic. This piece was made with my sister. For three years, we have been through a lot together. Dealing with our father's departure. Dealing with going through all that was accumulated by him and his parents in our countryside house. Among these things are old rusty keys. A box full of them. Keys to locks that don't exist anymore. Keys to open doors we haven't even known. Keys which have no purpose. I let you reflect on the many meanings these keys in that situation can have. So, my sister picked the keys and layered them on paper. The layers, with the sun hitting from the side, produced this velvety texture. It produces an ethereal depth and some haze. These keys appear to be floating in space. No one holds the key to (your) life. My daughter prepared this sheet the night before, creating these lively brushstrokes. The new life, onto which we pass old things.