I had no plans to visit the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam. I had vaguely heard it had reopened at a new location earlier this year, but I hadn’t added it to my to-go list.
Until I caught Nu te zien! (What’s on!), a short weekly TV programme in which a museum director recommends a temporary exhibition (at a different museum) you shouldn’t miss.
The recommended exhibition was Awakening in blue, an ode to cyanotype.
Two things have stayed with me since the museum visit.
First, the wall of cyanotypes by Suzette Bousema. These reminded me most of Anna Atkins’s botanical works. However, instead of capturing seaweed or moss, Bousema records the plastic waste found in our oceans.
The second isn’t in the footage. It was a video by Marijn Kuiper about their life as a trans person raising a child. It felt almost too intimate and personal, at least for me to capture on camera. It was so incredibly touching and beautiful, though, and I feel it will stay with me for a long time.
I wasn’t the only one lingering in that corner, so I had to move on, but walked back before leaving to get a photo of one of Kuiper's cyanotype artworks.
Afterwards, when I told my friends about the exhibition, two of them immediately remarked that cyanotype is having a moment right now. Which, I guess, I could’ve known, but I just thought it was a seasonal trend that people pick up again each year when the sun comes out.
Last year, against better judgement, I tried it a few times with store-bought pre-dyed papers. The results were very poor, and I plan to take my revenge this year with the proper chemicals (which I have ready in the fridge).
As luck would have it, the beautiful, sunny weather has taken a turn, so I still haven’t had a chance to make any new sun prints. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to soon!
Enjoy your day!
Marsha.
