Unusual request - making prints unarchival

wfarer · Dec 4, 2012

Hi all,

This is a bit of an unusual request/question as most photographers are concerned about archival rather than impermanence.

I'm planning a conceptual installation piece and my idea is for one wall of b&w photographs to deteriorate during the installation period of 4-6 weeks to simulate fading of memories.

I've looked through my books and done some internet searches - there's a lot on what to do to make prints archival but nothing on what not to do . Does anyone know of any chemicals / processes that I can utilize to make the prints "unarchival" so that they will visibly change over 4-6 weeks?

Much appreciated for any suggestions.

- Stephen

wildbill · Dec 4, 2012

most prints nowdays are labelled "archival something or other" just label them "unarchival"

fixer is the key, or lack of good fixer, not enough time in the fixer. good luck on the timing

afrank · Dec 4, 2012

Do not fix them, and depending on the light conditions perhaps residues could darken it instead of making it fade....

Thomas Bertilsson · Dec 4, 2012

Illuminate them with UV at night, when people are not looking.

Jeff Searust · Dec 4, 2012

afrank said:
Do not fix them, and depending on the light conditions perhaps residues could darken it instead of making it fade....

or very lightly fix then hang under UV light.

tkamiya · Dec 4, 2012

How about under fix and under wash? I am not sure if you can control how fast they decay though....

BrianShaw · Dec 4, 2012

Too bad that POP isn't available any more

kevs · Dec 4, 2012

afrank said:
Do not fix them, and depending on the light conditions perhaps residues could darken it instead of making it fade....

Yes that is what would happen; the undeveloped silver would slowly darken, especially under UV to green light. you could also fix them but don't rinse, which would give you a brown stain as the silver slowly converts to silver sulphide. If you have a brightly-lit space, you could print with a non-analogue ink-squirter using cheap dye-based inks which quickly fade in bright light; done this way the colour balance would alter as the inks degrade at different rates. But you didn't hear that from me on APUG...

Cheers,
kevs

vpwphoto · Dec 4, 2012

Sponge a weak C6N6FeK3 solution over the prints after you hang the exhibit, and stand back and enjoy.

(Test and find the right ratio/effect first)

As others have said UV light and inadequate fixing help.

I have a drawer full of unfixed stabilization processed prints that are still good, but set them out on a desk for a week and watch them go to brown. I am sure you can find some of this paper (I used to use a lot of it) and mixing the chemistry if you can't find any would be easy.
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/g12/g12.pdf

tomfoo13ry · Dec 4, 2012

Potassium Ferricyanide and a short wash maybe?

afrank · Dec 4, 2012

Another thing, how will the people know its meant to mean fading and its not just a very bad print? You should hang it next to a proper archival print so people can have a frame of reference. Just saying

Prof_Pixel · Dec 4, 2012

wfarer said:
I'm planning a conceptual installation piece and my idea is for one wall of b&w photographs to deteriorate during the installation period of 4-6 weeks to simulate fading of memories.

Maybe the best way of doing this is to make a series of prints that gradually get lighter and use them to replace the older print every other night ((6x7)/2=21 prints needed) or every third night ((6x7)/3=14 prints needed).

Marco B · Dec 4, 2012

Maybe a weak household bleach or diluted iodine solution (as used to disinfect) could do the trick? Iodine can even kick selenium from its bond with silver in a selenium toned print.

Mainecoonmaniac · Dec 4, 2012

I've heard of photographers in the old days giving proofs of unfixed salt prints.

Worker 11811 · Dec 4, 2012

Could you just use old, exhausted fixer?

Fresh fixer would work fairly quickly. It might be tricky to get them out of the bath soon enough for them to be "almost" permanent.

Old fixer would take longer and, when it does work, wouldn't work as well.

Alternately, what about diluting the fixer more than usual?

Diapositivo · Dec 4, 2012

Sunlight should work wonders. No glass in front of the pictures. Keep the place humid. Have people drink coffee near the pictures.

removed account4 · Dec 4, 2012

just make retina prints, in camera paper negative long exposure
without developer and don't bother fixing
you will have negatives and they will degrade very very fast
behind glass, maybe less time than without museum glass.
you can also contact print onto photopaper the same way ..
long exposures in the sun. the image will be stained on the paper
and VERY unstable. fixing them will turn your paper white ...

good luck !
john

eddie · Dec 4, 2012

I have a book (Photo Art, by Worobiec and Spence), which mentions sealing tree leaves in plastic, with a fiber print. In humid conditions, the leaves bacteria and fungi will begin to eat the gelatin, beginning the decay. According to the book, it will take a few weeks, and different leaves, different papers, and differing times will produce different effects. I don't know if this is what you have in mind, but it's worth a thought.

Gerald C Koch · Dec 4, 2012

The tricl would be to make the prints degrade on the schedule of 4 to 6 weeks. This would probably required quite a bit of experimenting to get the time right.

removed account4 · Dec 5, 2012

Greg Davis said:
The Starn twins just had a show of work in Cincinnati where the work was lit by an arc light that faded the prints through intense UV over the month of display. Viewers had to wear eye protection and were offered sunscreen at the door.

Commercially, there was a machine we printed with called a stabilizer processor. It developed the print with a concentrated developer solution, then "stabilized" the print with a second solution. It worked like a fixer, but only temporarily. Under display, it would darken to obscurity. I believe Adorama still sells this stuff, so you might be able to get some and use it in place of fixer.

would have LOVED to see the starn twins work !
maybe... someday ..

Darkroom317 · Dec 5, 2012

afrank said:
Another thing, how will the people know its meant to mean fading and its not just a very bad print? You should hang it next to a proper archival print so people can have a frame of reference. Just saying

Just write an artist statement. They should have one anyway

EKDobbs · Dec 5, 2012

I actually had this exact idea about a year ago. However, lacking a place to install the prints publicly, as well as the patience to figure out how to get them to deteriorate slowly, I gave up.

Best of luck! Return with results!

wfarer · Dec 10, 2012

Wow - thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions! I apologize for the belated response; had family troubles shortly after my initial posting so I did not have time to check the board.

Just to provide a context to the proposed installation - the wall of "fading" photographs will be mirrored on the opposite wall with "archival" photographs. So it starts off looking like two identical walls, but will change as the viewer revisits the installation later on.

I think the trick is to ensure that the photos on the "fading" wall deterioriate at different rates. It sounds like I will have lots of experimenting to do in the darkroom!

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions!

Unusual request - making prints unarchival

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