Film for "Electrographs"

[seamo66]

I am a fan of Hiroshi Sugimoto's Lightning Fields and I want to try to make some electrographs myself. If you have not seen his work, check it out here:

Dead Link Removed

The method seems reasonably straightforward apart from one thing - film selection.

Sugimoto talks of "searching for film that...would be more responsive to the sparks. The quest led to Eastern Europe and China for obscure brands of film, some of which can be purchased easily on the commercial market."

If anybody has any ideas Re. good films to try (4x5 or larger), or has experimented with this technique themselves, I would love to hear from them.

As I understand it, one role of the anti-halation layer is to inhibit static discharges. Do any modern films lack a anti-halation layer? Kodak HIE did, but it would be hard to find now.

Cheers,

 

[batwister]

Other than an electric shock, not sure what you'd get out of this. His work is great, but it's his work. What's more fascinating to me, more than how he did it, is the idea.

 

[Felinik]

Other than an electric shock, not sure what you'd get out of this. His work is great, but it's his work. What's more fascinating to me, more than how he did it, is the idea.

Curiosity maybe...?

 

[seamo66]

People have been making these kinds of images for over a hundred years, Sugimoto's work is just one example. Have a look at this work by Kinraide from the 1890s.

http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/KPlates.htm

I find it interesting, so I would like to have a try myself.