UNCONVENTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: THE APPLICATION OF HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHY PROCESSES INTEGRATING WITH TEXTILE WORK

Abstract

The beginning of photographic printing traced back to the 1800s. Images were printed with different light sensitive chemicals discovered by scientists and chemists. In that era, the photographs were done by hand from mixing the chemical, preparing the plates or paper to finishing with another set of chemical. In the early 20th century, the photographic printmaking became commercialized with silver gelatin. It became a mainstream through out the century. After that, the evolution of the digital technology predominates the industry at the turn of the century. Consequently, the history of photography is unobserved. Although, the early photographic processes has resurged around 1960s-1970s and they are called alternative photography. However, they are still obscure and not widely practiced. Therefore, the objectives of this research are 1) to preserve and reintroduce parts of historical photographic processes, 2) to experiment historical processes on different fibers and to analyze the results and 3) to develop unconventional photography by integrating historical processes with textile work. There are approximately 19 types of historical processes. However, the selected processes are considered by relevant adhesive characteristic of the chemical to the fibers. Natural fibers are found to have the right properties for the chemical to be situated. Experimented natural fibers are divided into 2 groups; first group is generic fibers that are found in common fabric stores and second group is natural fibers from Thailand’s local wisdom. The first group is established to have better results. On the other hand, local fibers are more vulnerable to failure in printing. However, they produce organic appeal. With the flexibilities of the fabric fibers, stitches and embroidery techniques can be applied on to the images to create unconventional photography. The research experiment expands the possibilities of historical photographic printing. The data analyzed can benefit those who seek alternative materials for their imaging making