Light Sensitive Paper with Wire Portraits (Nature Print Paper)

Last summer I visited the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, where they were running summer activities around the gallery.  Outside in the courtyard there was a stall set up with this ‘Nature Print Paper’.  Visitors were encouraged to make a paper silhouette, based on something they had seen in the gallery, and place this on top of the light sensitive paper.  After some time in direct sunlight, the chemicals on the paper’s surface react and leave an imprint.  To stop this reaction, you place the paper in water, which was the lovely pond at the V & A.  The colours on the paper actually reverse (ie – they white parts go dark blue) – I don’t know how this works, but it’s a fun thing to watch.  I was so impressed with this technique that I went straight out and bought some of this magic paper.

Here is the one I made that day.....

It was only when I was doing the wire portraits a few months later back in Abu Dhabi that I thought to use it.  We get sun every day of the year – so it is perfect for this!  The year 8 classes loved it - it was a chance to take them outside for a change, and it’s also great watching the paper magically turn in the sunlight, then again when the process is stopped in the water.  The blues get darker when they dry.