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Experimental Processes

Matthew Brandt (American, born 1982), Blacktail Lake W 7, 2013, dye coupler print soaked in Blacktail Lake water, purchase with funds from Stephen Wells and Will Hackman, 2017.334.

What physically constitutes a photograph is the constantly evolving result of chemical and mechanical advancements in technology. Since the nineteenth century, artists have explored the expressive potential offered by the various forms of photography from daguerreotypes and cyanotypes to platinum prints and Polaroids. In recent years as digital technology has separated the photographic image from a physical form, contemporary artists have embraced experimental and antiquated forms of photography to engage with the physical presence and experience of photographs.