Diary on the wall

Asst. Prof. Ampannee Satoh

Abstract :

Human being has memories. Whether they are memories of people, things, or places, recording them helps keep those memories from fading away. There are various forms of recording memories, such as through drawing, taking notes, and different artˇforms. The creators chose to preserve the memories of historical places. Traveling to meet through photographic art, once when traveling to be an artist in residence in La Rochelle, France, led to encountering some traces of the past. The tower building stands proudly facing the seashore. The interesting thing is, this tower used to be an old prison that held prisoners in the past. They had scribbled letters, books in many languages, and drawings of ships and other things on the stone walls. Using a spoon to eat or hard materials to paint them with difficulty, I imagined myself going back to the time when they were imprisoned in this tower when visiting that place. The darkness, loneliness, fear, and hopelessness that surrounded them.
The artworks records the historical traces of the port city of La Rochelle through one’s own memories, using the Lumen Print technique to create the work?a technique where sunlight creates an image on paper called Gelatin Silver Print. The imperfections in the image are unpredictable, reminding me of the language of painting on the stone in the tower of the warlord at the same time.

Objectives :

1. To study the process of creating photographs in the past and transferring them to contemporary works of photographic art.
2. To bring personal memories’ stories into the realm of artistic creation.

Conceptual Framework :

The “Diary on the Wall” photography art series presents traces of places within one’s own memories. From travels to various destinations, it allows an exploration of the history of La Rochelle, France?a pivotal port city during the 17th-18th centuries. Nestled by the sea, the tower once served as an old prison, bearing the writings of English, Dutch, Spanish, and other sailors arrested during trade raids. These traces offer a fascinating glimpse into the historical significance of the port area. This collection aims to preserve these traces through the lumen printing process?a technique originating from the 19th century. This process involves using light to create images, blending the essence of historical documentation with the artistry of contemporary photography.

Process / Methodology :

1. Record historical traces on the walls of the ancient tower in the city of La Rochelle, France.
2. Integrate photos into the creative process using Photoshop.
3. Capture creative photos utilizing the Lumen Print technique.
4. Design the layout and sequence of images for the exhibition.

Techniques and Materials :

Lument Print is a photographic process where objects are placed on light-sensitive paper and exposed to sunlight. It’s a form of camera-less photography, producing unique, ethereal images due to the natural variation in exposure and the interaction of sunlight with the objects. The process relies on the paper’s ability to capture an image without the use of traditional photographic equipment.

Result / Conclusion :

This series of photographic artworks presents traces of a place through one’s memories. The aim is to record and study the process of creating contemporary photographic works of art.

References :

Marco Antoniniˇ,ˇSergio Minnitiˇ,ˇFrancisco G¢mez,ˇGabriele Lungarella,/(2015)./ Experimental Photography: A Handbook of Techniques ./ Thames & Hudson.

Ana Sofia Camarga,/(2023,May 2)./Lumen Prints./ https://www.alternativeprocesses.org/post/lumen-prints#:~:text=Lumen%20prints%20date%20back%20to,side%20with%20silver%20nitrate%2C%20a

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