Looking at a print 24 square meters large up close is impressive, but having it made from a contact print elevates it to quite a different level. Contact print is a way of printing photographs in which the negative (or positive) is pressed against a the photo paper and then exposed. This creates a photo at the same size of the negative. (Long, long time ago, this method was used to create a full sheet of images from a roll of 35mm film).
So image the work needed to create a 24sqm contact print. Well, the first effort would be to get a same size negative. Team Branco Ottico did just that, they created a 24sqm negative and a 24sqm cyanotype sheet and took on creating what they call “the world’s largest contact print ever made” Making such a big print does have quite a bit logistics and cost involved and being self financed, the team opted for the cyanotype process which is relatively cheap: First a negative was stitched together, and attached to a fabric soaked with emulsion.
Then a test was made to determine the right exposure. The emulsion was quite a low ISO as even with the bright sun, exposure time was 12 minutes and 30 seconds
The contact print and negative was placed in a piazza and people were invited to imprint their hands to become a part of the process.
Lastly, the fabric was developed, washed and hung to dry:
The result, as you can see, is quite stunning. [The Largest Contact Print EVER | BRANCO OTTICO]
