As an introduction to this project, I chose an object which is significantly meaningful to me: a rosary symbolizing family attachment. This rosary was given to me prior to my departure to New York City as a means of protection from misfortune. Nevertheless, this object was used to practice a technique often uses in the process of replication: photo transfer. The aim of this exercise was to prepare the class for a larger project, which involves the creative replication of another individual’s meaningful item, reflecting it’s value for the person.
To achieve the above effect, I firstly scanned my rosary, printing ten black and white copies of that same scan. In particular, for this assignment, we had to incorporate the technique of collage using those ten printed images of our object of choice and, if desired, also using the procedure of photo transfer. I decided to combine both approaches. Below is a step-by-step description of the way in which I accomplished the reproduction of my rosary.
Step 1:
I began by joining ten large strips of scotch tape into a single rectangular surface.
Step 2:
I then ripped the ten replicas of the rosary into smaller pieces, sticking the printed on sides of the paper onto the adhesive area of the scotch tape. The collage would essentially be a larger, frazzled and torn version of the original scan of the rosary. However, to reproduce a somewhat accurate depiction of the shape and arrangement of the rosary was a relatively challenging process, as the illustrated surfaces of the pieces of paper were facing down towards the transparent, adhesive base. I was, hence, not completely capable of visualizing the development of the representation.
Step 3:
Once the rectangular base is entirely covered by paper, the process of photo transfer was adopted. Specifically, I used a damp sponge to drench the collage, making sure to fully scrape the superficial layer of paper. The effect of this method is that the scotch tape will absorb the ink from the printed paper, resulting in the displacement of the whole picture generated by the collage onto the translucent frame.
