In the spring of 2022, I participated in the course On Circulation as part of my master's studies in photography at Aalto University. The aim of the course was to ask questions about sustainable artistic and creative practices and find ways to use recycled materials to create new artworks. I have long wanted to create modern tintypes using inkjet printing, and the course gave me the opportunity to experiment with this process and technique. The tintypes were displayed as part of a multimedia installation alongside other projects I developed during the course and the materials I used to produce the works. The installation documents both the material experimentation and the objects resulting from said experimentations.
The concept for the tintypes originally came about while I was playing Red Dead Redemption 2, using the game's 'Photo Mode' which simulates 19th century photographic techniques and photochemical processes as image filters. I was interested in discovering what happens when the photographic is transported into the virtual and what the history and significance of the photographic medium adds to the game, how these can shape our perception of history when combined and if there is anything we can take with us into our physical reality. The imagery used for the tintypes was created in the game. The name of the project comes from the smallest size of tintype plates used in the 19th century, which is one-sixth of an entire plate.
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