Elaine Byrne | Online exhibition: Othered

12 May - 11 June 2022

The title of this collection of unique edition photographs points to the photographs altered, or Othered, state. Each photograph has been manipulated by hand after the image has been printed making each unique and not reproducible. This approach is derived from a concept common in printing – that of the Edition Variable (EV). Normally, when you are printing an edition, you are striving to make each print in the edition as close to identical as possible. Not always though. With an EV print, the impression is printed and then hand coloured, or finished onto different papers.  Essentially, each print within the ‘edition’ is unique. 

 

The photographs in Othered have all  been altered by either burning text on to the image, by hand coloring the photograph using pen, pencil, pastels etc.. For example Arctic Airstrip is hand coloured using pen and colored pencil while Ice Cave 1 has shapes burnt through the paper, colored with pastel. The result is a series of prints that are similar, but can never be quite the same.  A non edition edition, if you will. 

 

Each of these works is an EV of 3 and is signed with the addition of the letters “VE” indicating that the edition is a variable or varied edition.