Past Paper / Present Marks

Photo-experiments in light and water with Robert Rauschenberg’s expired gelatin silver paper

In 2018, photographers Jennifer Garza-Cuen (American, born 1972) and Odette England (Australian/British, born 1975) spent a week at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency in Captiva, Florida, collaborating on a series of nearly 200 photograms. The images were made in Rauschenberg’s swimming pool, using expired 1970s gelatin silver paper found in his darkroom. The two artists activated the paper by piercing or slashing the bags and envelopes using pens, scissors or knives; folding the silver paper at odd angles; or layering them inside the bags. Some sank to the bottom of the pool, while others floated on top or by the filtration units. Exposures were made overnight and throughout the day, allowing different levels and intensities of sunlight, moonlight and water to penetrate the paper. This large-format volume compiles their experiments.