2019 Orocyanogram Expedition
The 2019 Orocyanogram Expedition was a great success! It was a glorious fall day, calm and sunny, and we exposed about 80 feet of film in four-foot strips. We wove strips into the landscape to allow the already present shadows to expose the film, and exposed with representative materials gathered from different parts of the landscape.
Join the Handmade Film Institute as we make “Orocyanograms” in celebration of 2019 World Cyanotype Day!
We will hike several miles to an elevation of over 11,000 feet in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness, carrying with us 16mm film that has been treated with cyanotype chemistry, and make contact prints on location with what we find in this pristine wilderness. The result will be a direct cinematic imprint of a precious and beautiful place!
The expedition begins at the outer Brainard Lake parking lot (before the pay station) at 7 am, Saturday, September 28th. After we convene, we will proceed to Long Lake and hike an easy trail towards Lake Isabelle. When we arrive at our (secret!) destination, we will proceed to spend as much of the day as we see fit to convey the spirit of the landscape by making cameraless phototgrams with whatever materials the landscape provides. This will be a completely zero-emission process in which we will leave no trace of any kind, other than the film we bring back with us!
There is no cost to participate, and all film materials will be provided. Bring your own lunch, water, sunscreen, a rain layer (just in case), and adequate clothing for a day out in the high country.
If you are intersted in joining us, or if you have any questions or transportation needs, please send us a note using our contact link, below. And let us know if you’re thinking of coming so we know how many to expect!
A note on names: The Handmade Film Institute is conducting an ongoing series of in situ, low-tech, envronmentally friendly cyanotype photogram filmmaking experiences in which we immerse ourselves in a landscape and make a film which directly images it. This is the second in the series. “Orocyanogram” combines three Ancient Greek roots: Ορος (oros) mountain, κύανος (kuanos, i.e., cyan), blue, and gram, from γράμμα (grámma, “written character”). The first event took place during the summer of 2019 on Sucia Island, Washington, where we made “Aquacyanograms” (similar derivation) on the shore of the Salish Sea.