Breathe — Alice Cazenave

Breathe

2015

Photographic images printed inside pelargonium leaves. Images are created by photosynthesis; no photographic emulsion is coated onto the leaves.
6cm x 7cm, varying sizes

This series was the first of its kind and uses pelargonium printing to create photographic artworks. This process uses photosynthesis to create photographic images inside leaves.

Different from chlorophyll printing, these prints are made by living leaves that respond to light and carbon dioxide. As they absorb these elements, they photosynthesise in the trace of a negative. This transformation of light and atmosphere into plant energy inspires the title of the series, Breathe.

Breathe was published in The British Journal of Photography and The Guardian's My Best Shot feature, and was commissioned for the exhibition Fabric of Photography, Oxford, 2021.

Interview and process demonstration comissioned by the London Alternative Photography Collective, 2019.