ART PHOTOGRAPHY with SUSAN PURDY
BLUE PANORAMA…
…a tour of Morocco in pursuit of the beautiful and mysterious colour blue.
9 – 23 April 2018
Susan Purdy, cyanotype print
Susan Purdy, Dwellings #6-2
Abdou in Blue, photo Susan Purdy
Susan Purdy, Jardin Majorelle
Susan Purdy, Sahara Blue Man #2
Susan Purdy, Blue Horizon 2
Susan Purdy, Blue Scarves
Susan Purdy, Nomad #2
This Blue Panorama tour offers an adventurous, open-ended approach to photography, photograms and the ‘Cyanotype’ print process.
As lead artist, Susan Purdy aims to share a Moroccan journey appointing the colour blue as a motif and catalyst for travel and creative play. Colour – elemental and pure – has been deeply revered in Moroccan culture through the centuries.
Our journey begins in Marrakesh, known as the Red City, where the dusty pinks of the architecture and soil become both foil and backdrop for an intense array of fluorescent combinations, the most compelling of which is blue.
The colour blue has intrigue wherever it appears in Morocco. Used to great effect in the Yves St Laurent gardens, it is also the intensity of blue djelabas worn by men crossing the Sahara, of indigo rocks piled in baskets in the Medina, of the colour of the horizon when crossing the mountains.
You are invited to celebrate the Moroccan preoccupation with blue using the camera-less photographic process of the ‘Blueprint’ or ‘Cyanotype’ photograms. Using the sun to expose images of plants and other natural forms as well as individually crafted paper negatives, participants explore the patterns left by various objects, and learn about the unique, volatile and often unpredictable relationship of light and chemistry.
The tour will include:
Workshops in creating ‘Cyanotype’ photograms
Strategic and innovative uses of the digital camera
Keeping an artist journal
Reviews and feedback
Join us in 2018 for a unique tour with Amazigh Cultural Tours Morocco and discover the poetry and enchantment of Blue.
It’s a really cool idea…
About Susan Purdy:
Well recognised for her work in photo media, during more than twenty years practice, Susan Purdy has produced many exquisite series of artworks, specialising in photograms, photographic collage with themes encompassing flora, the natural environment and imagery exploring her own cultural identity and sense of place. The significance of her arts practice has been recognised and supported by two international Australia Council residencies and numerous Visual Arts Grants. Her work is represented in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia.
About the Tour:
This 14 day tour traverses a large part of southern Morocco from the ancient city of Marrakech, over the spectacular landscape of the Atlas Mountains to the northern edge of the vast Sahara.
Susan will provide guidance with an aim to facilitate opportunities for creative expression and a major focus of the tour will be sharing ideas on keeping an artists journal, recording experiences and collecting sources of inspiration for future development.
Taking time to make considered responses to the culture and landscape on hand and a number of creative approaches to image making, materials for cyanotype printing will be provided for practical workshops and activities using locally sourced inspiration and materials. Plants and flowers in the wild of the Atlas Mountains and oasis valleys of the Sahara, additional props such as fresh produce and still-life objects, and printed material, both found and generated using techniques such as drawing, rubbings and embossing, will combine to create collaborative and individual images and compositions responding to the people and environment.
Participants can also bring their own digital camera. It will be helpful to have a sound understanding of the controls and how to operate their equipment. A laptop PC would be an advantage to enable you to view and edit the work as we go. ‘Negatives’ for the cyanotype prints can come from found objects, plant materials, drawings or photographic images. General discussion en-route will include reviews and critiques as part of an evening program.
Traveling with Susan we will experience the wonderful world of the indigenous Amazigh (Berber) people, the wealth and beauty of the Moroccan landscape and culture, including traditional music performance, visits to galleries and museums, artisan workshops and historic collections of rare artefacts.
Accommodation is provided in the most comfortable traditional guesthouses, and we enjoy the extraordinary delights of Amazigh food and hospitality. The warmth and good humour of the people is immense and the insights into the Islamic world and Amazigh spirituality and contemporary life fascinating.
Traveling with a small group of like-minded people and an experienced team of co-hosts including Australian artist Rita Lazauskas and professional Amazigh Guide Abdenabi Imelouane, the program offers an innovative and creative way to explore a new place that is stimulating, supportive and safe.