Palermo Spirale is an innovative project, a city portrait of cyanotype photographs that celebrates the city of Palermo in Sicily through a structured presentation of seven specific locations arranged along a spiral mapped over the city. Arenella, an ancient fishing village and resort situated on the edge of Palermo harbour, marks the outermost point of this spiral. This project captures the spirit of this historic Mediterranean city by providing unique perspectives from the selected locations, presenting Palermo in a new and unconventional light. Using alternative media to create the final images adds an additional layer of enchantment to the resulting visual representations.
Cyanotype photographs: the process
These images are not mere photographs but a testament to the meticulous artistry of the cyanotype process, which traces its origins back to 1842. A solution of photosensitive iron salts is delicately painted upon watercolour paper. Once dry, a digital negative is carefully sandwiched with the paper and illuminated with ultraviolet light. The resulting blue image is a cyanotype photograph, a unique and captivating art form. I then lightly bleached the image before toning it in a solution made from sumac leave tannin extract, adding depth and character to the composition with warm grey dark shades and lighter yellow-brown hues.
Camera technique
I captured these photos using a 1974 edition Zenza Bronica 6×6 film camera, shooting on Bergger 400 film stock. I then photographed the negatives with a camera setup and retouched them in Camera One before printing them as full-size digital negatives.
Editions & folios for sale
The series is available for purchase in these formats:
- The 31 x 31 cm single image edition is limited to 16 copies. Each copy costs ISK 30.000 (circa $220).
- The 56 x 56 cm single-image edition is limited to 12 copies. Each copy costs ISK 90.000 (circa $650).
- The 31 x 31 cm box set folio edition of all 28 images is limited to 8 copies. Each folio edition costs ISK 600.000 (circa $4,300).
- The 56 x 56 cm box set folio edition of all 28 images is limited to 4 copies. Each folio edition costs ISK 1.800.000 (circa $12,900).
Every copy and edition is signed and delivered with a certificate of authenticity.
You can order single images sized 38 x 28 cm directly by selecting „Purchase“ on the relevant page.
Please select „Inquire“ or email me at hlynur@hlynur.art for other sizes and queries.
