Shadow Structures

Dianne Bos: back to Artist

Cheminee Style Louis XIV

Cheminee Style Louis XIV

Eglise Paroissiale, A Argenteuil

Eglise Paroissiale, A Argenteuil

Temple de la Victoire

Temple de la Victoire

Temple de la Victoire 2

Temple de la Victoire 2

Eglise St Pierre de Montmarte

Eglise St Pierre de Montmarte

Artist Statement

 

The process is fairly simple.  I purchased several portfolios of antique architectural engravings from the 1870’s  in France.  Some of them were on really nice paper.  On top of these I painted cyanotype emulsion, which is sensitive to sunlight.  It turns blue  when exposed for about half and hour.  This is the same chemistry that was used to make architectural blueprints in the old days.  I thought it would be interesting to paint this ‘blueprint’ medium on architectural prints and place plants on top of the engravings to produce a shadow of the plant structure onto the building structures.  Hence, the title of the series ‘Shadow Structures’.

 

This is a blurb written by curator Mary Beth Laviolette on a large Shadow Structure piece that was in an exhibition in Calgary. This work will be featured in a book called ‘Before Digital’ :

 

As they are printed on  150 year old architectural portfolio paper it’s quite nice to see the edges. Each is one of a kind.

Artist Biography

Over the past 25 years Dianne Bos has continually explored motifs such as galaxies and constellations, European interiors with light portals (such as windows or doors) and figures presented as light apparitions. Pinhole projections and the camera obscura - Italian for dark room - changed Western thinking of the Earth’s relationship to the sun, and in turn, assisted in transforming the face of art during the Renaissance period. These tools and devices formulate and extend her fascination with journeying, time, and light-forms. Bos is well known for her museum exhibitions that feature handmade cameras, walk-in light box installations, and sound pieces. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Dianne Bos has been called Canada’s “queen” of pinhole photography. Multi-talented, her art practice and interests extend into a variety of creative fields, from being a lead singer and keyboardist for several musical bands. Her photography has been used on several vinyl, cassette, CD and video releases in Canada, USA and Europe, and she has written and photographed for contemporary garden and design magazines. Bos has consistently exhibited photography and installation works in solo and group shows in public and private galleries and museums across Canada and internationally for over 30 years. Along with Canadian Museum and corporate collections, elected collections of Dianne Bos works include Official Residence, Canadian Ambassador, Paris, France, the Canadian Embassy, Brussels, Belgium, and Department of Global Affairs, for NATO Offices, Brussels, Belgium.

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