WHAT IT MEANS TO WALK ON AIR

Inspiration
This artwork was inspired by Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin, a pioneering astrophysicist and probably the most eminent women astronomers of all time. Payne’s discovery deriving true cosmic abundance of elements from stellar spectra profoundly changed what we know about the universe, and her work began a revolution in astrophysics.

Technique
What It Means To Walk On Air was created by constructing a hand-cut collage of female photographic portraiture, photographs of spiral staircases, antique metronomes and telescopes with photograms of antique slides of interstellar clouds and star spectra with hand-printed surface textures from chemigrams.

After coating the handmade paper (Turkish Map Folded) with light-sensitive chemistry, it is left to dry in a dark room. The large scale negative is then contact printed onto the paper by exposing to daylight (UV rays). The print is then processed by thoroughly washing in water to remove any unexposed solution. It can then be hung to dry, developing to full density Prussian blue after 24 hours and then hand finished with 24-carat gold leaf. Once the leaf is cured the piece is then map folded and unfolded again to create the 3-dimensional sculptural cyanotype and fixed to 5 multiple folded layers of handmade paper and armature.

Dimensions
Unframed:  290mm x 300mm
Framed:      570mm x 570mm depth x 78mm depth

Paper
Handmade recycled cotton rag paper: 
320gsm / 100% Cotton Rag / Recycled / Acid Free / PH Neutral / Medium Rough

Mount
We use float mounting for all of our framed cyanotypes. The artwork floats above a snow-white mount board, showcasing the paper texture and deckled edging.

Framing
Framed artwork will arrive ready to hang.

Each frame is handmade by our London based design team. They prime and sand the wooden frame before spraying black or white soft-sheen paint to achieve the highest quality finish. All frames come with gallery spec, 3mm thick anti-reflective/ UV glazing as standard. 

If you would like a bespoke frame, please get in touch to discuss alternative colours, gilding and glazing options.