Clubber Spotlight: Michaela Davis
This week, our spotlight is on Michaela Davis, whose dreamy blue-hued hand-printed cyanotype animations caught our eye. She talks us through her process, which she's described as a true labour of love, her inspirations, and a special screening for the animation, taking place at William Morris Gallery on Thursday 8th February.
"Great Sale Wood is a short, animated film crafted through the sustainable process of cyanotype, which uses the natural elements of UV light and water. Taking half a year to complete, the two-minute animation is comprised of over 2,800 hand-printed frames."
The film explores themes of ecology, climate crisis and spiritualism. I’ve always been inspired by the spirituality and interconnected beauty of the wildlife around forests. I recorded the footage and audio around Epping Forest. I then edited the video and exported it into individual frames to turn into contact sheets with 9 frames per page. I used watercolour paper treated in the cyanotype solution, acetate, and UV light to expose the images.
I turned my bedroom into a mini cyanotype factory, with the UV light being held together by string and shoes, pegs used to hold the glass to the prints and my wardrobe used as a makeshift darkroom. After UV exposure, I washed the prints in second-hand developing trays and hung them to dry. After drying, I scanned each frame and edited them back into a video. The audio was created using a synth combined with digital manipulations of the field recordings I took.
Lately, I’ve been inspired by my boyfriend’s radio show, PEACEKEEPER RADIO, which platforms underground artists/DJs from across the world. I especially love the experimental mixes, like Mix #012 which gives me strong Runescape nostalgia. We hope to collaborate to host an event with live DJs in the near future."
Check out the video for Michaela's cyanotype animation here
Michaela's screening of Great Sale Wood takes place on:
Thursday 8th February, 6-9pm
@ William Morris Gallery.
IG: @dogs___bollocks or @2001oo2
Sound artist: Dean Logan
