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BIENNALE DI SENIGALLIA

Michael Kolster’s photographs one made with one of the medium’s oldest means of fixing an image: the wet plate photographic process, invented in 1850 and predominate until the 1880s.

Michael Kolster gave a long and detailed conference in English, followed by the screening of a video that you can access here: MICHAEL KOLSTER VIDEO ON COLLODION.

“An ambrotype is one-of-a-kind glass plate negative that magically reverses to a positive when viewed in front of a black background. In addition to mounting the plates for exhibition, I digitally scan the plates and print them larger, which often reveals certain details not readily apparent otherwise. I like how these two methods of viewing the image bookend the history of photography.

The photographs come from a series depicting some rivers in the United States that used to be very polluted but are now cleaner. For almost 300 years factories along on their banks relied on the power of their flows to drive manufacturing and to carry away the wastes they generated.”

“The invention of photography happened just as the industries along these rivers kicked into high gear. Putting to use the chemical, optical, and mechanical realities that gave us photography are much the same ones that fueled the industrial revolution, shifting labor from farms into factories and causing a wholesale adulteration of the landscape. One result was the degradation of the ecosystems of these rivers: by the middle of the 20th century many were biologically dead. This trend has been reversed after laws were passed regulating the disposal of waste into the rivers. They are now much cleaner and, remarkably, have returned to support abundant forms of life, despite their legacy of toxins residing under the riverbeds.

How do we categorize, and therefore perceive, these places today? No longer wild nor ruined, they emerge unprecedented, an inseparable emulsion of the natural and human-made.”

Michael Kolster insisted on some interesting details, this specific process does’t see some colors, and you understand it looking at the photograph of a peeled lemon.

The wet collodion process is primarily sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light. It is almost insensitive to red, orange, and certain yellows. Visual consequence: Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) appear very dark, even black, in the images. In contrast, cool colors (blue, violet) and white appear very bright. In the example of the peeled lemon, reproduced as collodion photograph, remaining skin of the lemon—which is naturally yellow—can appear surprisingly dark, almost black, even though the human eye perceives it as bright and vibrant.

At the Palazzetto Baviera exhibition, Michael displayed several photographs, including a remarkable ambrotype—a delicate developed emulsion on glass, simply pinned and seemingly suspended two centimeters above a glossy black background.

Kassandra was fascinated:

Francesca found some nice vintage prints at the Fair

Michael received a warm welcome from the vibrant photographic community of Senigallia and joined Massimo Marchini and Alberto Polonara for one of their favorite workshops. Together, they invited both newcomers and a broad audience to participate in creating Van Dyck prints under their expert guidance.

It is important to note how old photographic techniques have created circles of enthusiasts. Of course, from a digital perspective, their numbers are nothing compared to the billions of selfie and Instagram followers, with all the spaghetti and stir-fry photographers who digitally immortalize every one of their lunches. But among the active photographers who like to meet, to photograph together, to talk, to organize exhibitions—there, they form a truly visible minority.

Van Dyck processes are probably the most immediate way to attract new followers; Wet Plate or collodion require a lot of time and practice. The daguerreotype is even more demanding.

But holidays in general, and holidays in Senigallia in particular, are a good opportunity to get started.

Like the Ballesio sisters here, if you wish to follow on some research topics with Michael, you can contact him by mail at: mkolster