Cyanotypes on 16mm

Join as we create our own moving image cyanotypes on 16mm film, facilitated by artist and filmmaker Maya Jeffereis at XINEMA's Fieldhouse. Cyanotypes are an early photographic process with a feminist legacy. Anna Atkins published what is widely considered the first book with photographic illustrations of algae and seaweed using cyanotypes. Rendering beautiful blue images, this experimental DIY process allows us to direct contact print using a range of materials–film negatives, plant matter, and found objects. Participants will learn the entire process: coating clear 16mm film leader, properly exposing the film, and processing in water. After the workshop, participants will receive a digital scan of their footage.

Maya Jeffereis is an artist and filmmaker whose work in video, performance, and installation seeks to expand upon overlooked histories and fill in archival gaps with counter narratives, personal histories, and speculative fictions. Jeffereis’ work has been presented in the United States and internationally, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Brooklyn Museum, The Noguchi Museum, and Queens Museum, among other institutions.

Workshop materials are provided. Participants are invited to bring their own materials to expose onto 16mm film including their own film (16mm, 35mm, slides, positives and negatives), small personal and archival objects, plant matter, and textured and translucent materials (fabrics, plastics, papers).

𝘾𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝟭𝟲𝙢𝙢

Saturday, November 29, 10am-2pm

5050 Wales Street, Norquay Park

Workshop slots are $30 suggested donation, NOTAFLOF, (no one turned away for lack of funds). All workshop materials provided!

Number of participants: 10 (maximum), ages 14 and up.

Accessibility notes: XINEMA’s Fieldhouse and darkroom space have 29” doorways, which are slightly smaller than the minimum door width for wheelchair access. The space is small but flexible in layout for working stations. Masks are recommended. We will have some available for those who wish to use them. We have red lights inside the darkroom. Accessible public bathrooms are open.

These are mask recommended events! Please do not come if you are sick.

If you require further financial or physical accommodation, please email info@xinema.ca.

This workshop is presented in correspondence with Passage of Presence, an experimental film program of films using home movies and archival footage to explore personal histories, held the same evening (November 29) at 6pm.

Header image: Maya Jeffereis, Passages II, 2024. 16mm film. Courtesy of the Artist.