September 21, 2004
Using sunlight to print on the surface of leaves

An amazing show of new work at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco currently. Photographer Binh Danh discovered a way to convert found photos from the Vietnam war into large digital negatives, and then "print" them onto the surface of live leaves using sunlight and the chlorophyll in the leaves to create the image. The living print is then made permanent by embedding it in a block of clear resin. His choice of subject matter, and then pairing it with shapes of tropical leaves that often echo shapes in each photo, creates an effect that is haunting and emotional. See them in person if you can. Or at least check out the few examples on the Haines Gallery website.
