Business is Driven by Quarterly Results: Cyanotype Workshop led by Lina Ivanova

In this cyanotype workshop the local community are invited to work with one of the oldest photographic processes to record their own identity, culture and experiences of living in and navigating the borough of Croydon.

Participants are encouraged to bring objects symbolising their identity, background and connection to the area, which will form the subject matter of the cyanotype prints.

The cyanotype process is a camera-less photography technique using absorbent material, pre-coated in cyanotype solution that is sensitive to UV light. The resulting outcome are blue and white images, capturing the silhouettes of objects placed on top of the light sensitive material. The process obliterates details of the surface of objects and for Lina, democratises the essential parts of our identity, culture, heritage and being.

The cyanotype process is accessible to any age group. It relies on the weather and with this there is an element of chance. The work produced during this workshop and the rest of the series will be curated into a final installation in a communal space in Croydon. Participants will have the opportunity to collect and keep their pieces if they wish to take them home once the installation is taken down.

Access info:

Protective equipment such as gloves and aprons will be provided.

The cyanotype solution can stain clothing, participants need to consider the clothes they wear accordingly.

Note the site has uneven floor (pebbles) so wheelchair users might have difficulty moving across the site.

This workshop is part of Turf Projects’ latest commission series Desire Paths as part of London Borough of Culture 2023. Lina Ivanova’s project ‘Business is Driven by Quarterly Results’ aims to give participants the opportunity to locate their own stories in the public spaces of Croydon, and to consider their future in the area.

ABOUT LINA IVANOVA:

Lina Ivanova is a London based artist, originally from Bulgaria. Her practice is process-led, multidisciplinary, primarily including photography and sculpture. Lina constructs multi-media installations as a means of negotiating the notion of place. Often rooted in her experience of migration, Lina’s practice explores narratives of displacement, family, history and heritage. Found objects, public and private archives and industrial materials inform her exploration into the relationship between background, class and status. Having graduated with a BA in Photography (2015), she co-founded Revolv Collective (2017) and completed a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (2018).