Kryotypie [Cryotype]
Inkjet on ice | 2011 - 2013
Funded by the Bauhaus Degree Completion Scholarship for Students
Cryotype (ancient Greek cryos, cold/frost; typos, print) is a term coined by Robert Verch for his ice-printing method. His scholarship financed an art project, in which he created images and objects called »Kryotypien« [Cryotypes]. These are documents that are inherently ephemeral. They demonstrate the element of impermanence, which lies hidden in photography and all archival materials for that matter, the purpose of which is to overcome impermanence to a certain degree.
The photos shown here depict thawed-out cryotypes on paper. They emphasise the life and decay of the photographic image. Although we feel sure that our memories are frozen forever in photography, they are actually melting away. Silver-based prints fade and light discolours historic photos, and digital storage carriers aren’t all that they are cracked up to be. Cryotype is the memento mori of photography.