Creativity and cyanotype: Exploring camera-less photography as an alternative for art education

Abstract

This article presents the results of several workshops developed as a Master of Arts dissertation project from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes in Mexico. The project explored cyanotype, a different photographic printing technique that diverges from chemical photography, and the possibilities of incorporating it in art education programs. The workshops aimed to introduce emerging artists to cyanotype – a camera-less photography technique and a low-cost creative process to explore visual expression. The emerging artists were exposed to the concept of cyanotype in a series of 9-h workshops, in which they learned the theoretical and technical fundamentals and some of the artworks of the leading artists who work with this technique. The workshops also showcased cyanotype prints on traditional and non-traditional surfaces. We also gathered, from a qualitative perspective, the experiences of the participant artists, their impressions, and feedback. At the end of the paper, we discuss the visual language of cyanotype and its process characteristics that make this technique an excellent alternative for art education since it provides creative engagement to the participants and requires little investment from the facilitators.