Girl in Blue

Girl in Blue is a short experimental film shot on 16mm that reflects on how isolating depression, grief and chronic illness can be. The film was made with cyanotype emulsion and all footage was hand processed with eco-developer made from spring flowers.

Flowers have always inspired me and my practice. The spring is my favourite time of year as we get to watch life return to nature. During the pandemic I have found solace in working with plants. I began making botanical cyanotypes in February as the spring flowers first began to emerge. Walking around my neighbourhood and becoming familiar with the different species of flowers and plants was something that brought me comfort during these uncertain times. I have lived with clinical depression for a long time so feeling blue is something I am very familiar with, however this last year it’s been hard feeling to escape. The deep blue of the cyanotypes reflected my current emotional state so perfectly. Processing grief and living with chronic illness is something that is deeply linked to my experiences with depression and it felt important for me to create work that reflected my current emotions and reality.

One of my favourite experimental processes is eco-processing which is where you use flowers to create a non-toxic and biodegradable film developer. Combining eco-developer and the cyanotype process as one felt like a natural progression for me. I experimented with creating a cyanotype gelatine emulsion and coated clear 16mm film. This film was then exposed to the sunlight and resulted in an abstract crystallization formation. Through the combination of all of these techniques Girl in Blue was born.