Extractive Cyan (images of aurification)
Sites haunted by disastrous Gold cyanidation, resulting from dam failure, cyanide leaching and toxic waste discharge, e.g. the village of Geamana, Romania.
On Gold cyanidation
Underground gold, silver, copper and zinc mining has been partially replaced by chemical mining involving cyanides. Huge amounts of oxygen are required for this type of "ore washing". Extraction sites are characterized by a toxic shimmer. Cyanide leaching marks the utmost horizon of Cyan – a cocreator of shadow images of us.
On Chrysotype
Another method to make cyan golding visible is the Chrysotype is a forgotten and complicated photogram technique for gold prints. Experimentation with equally toxic photographic processes and materials is ongoing.
Left: experiments with cyanotypes exposed directly on book pages in magenta plant grow lights.
Left, top layer: slide show with images from the flooded village of Geamana in Romania. From Geamana – The Romanian Village Flooded by a Toxic Lake by Mihai Andrei.
(https://www.zmescience.com last visited 2021-04-20).
