Experience the magic of the coast of Te Whanganui-a-Tara in the workshop Reflecting Rimurimu: Making Seaweed Cyanotypes, using a sun printing technique. Presented by Love Rimurimu and local artists from Women in Photography NZ + AU and The Handmade Darkroom: Te Whanganui-a-Tara Sustainable Photography Collective.
This workshop explores the simplicity and beauty of cyanotype as one of the ways we can make art sustainably and respectfully with this precious resource.
Delving into this old photographic process made with sunlight, we will play with making lasting impressions of rimurimu, unleashing your creativity to make stunning cyanotype prints! You will have hands-on guidance from local artists Virginia Woods-Jack, Belinda Whitta and Samson Dell. You'll also have the opportunity to experiment with your own shoreline ephemera, so feel free to bring along your own beach treasures.
In addition, you will be introduced to the magical possibility of developing film with seaweed with a step-by-step demonstration. Plus, you will receive digital scans of the photographs we have made throughout the day.
Culminate your experience with the opportunity to share and discuss your cyanotypes, reflecting on the enriching learning outcomes of this unique workshop. You will leave with a collection of cyanotypes and a package of valuable resources!
This event suitable for adults and older/interested tamariki accompanied by their adults.
Cost: $50+ booking fee
Location: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna, 4 Falkirk Avenue, Seatoun, Wellington
For more information and to book tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/reflectingrimurimu
Related content
View this image from HB Dobbie’s blue fern album – this fern image from the late nineteenth century was taken using the cyanotype process.
Seaweed resources
Love Rimurimu – an ocean of potential for seaweed is a year-long inquiry supported by Mountains to Sea – with exploration in the classroom and in the field. You can also dip into resources covering biodiversity, human impacts and restoration for short-term studies. Several resources are in te reo Māori, courtesy of Te Aho Tū Roa.
The citizen science project Floating Forests needs the help of citizen scientists to identify kelp forests from satellite images.
Discover the mātauranga that underpins pōhā – bags made from rimurapa, a species of bull kelp, that preserve tītī (muttonbirds) for up to 2 years.
The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake exposed kelp forests. The article Kelp forests after the Kaikōura earthquake provides information on many of kelps’ ecosystem services and why scientists are keen to research the impacts caused by the earthquake.
See our Seaweed and algae Pinterest board for more resource ideas.
