cyanotype printing and coptic bookbinding
The workshops combined the two techniques to invite participants to rethink the materiality of the book and explore unconventional forms of creation. We worked with colours, lines, shades of blue in solar prints, shapes, and the book’s malleability. The sessions took place around a table on the sidewalk in front of Bona Peiser, where we assembled our books in the open air. Curious passers-by often stopped to ask questions, and some eventually joined us.
Among the bookbinding techniques explored in this project, the coptic stitch was the most time-intensive, taking thirty minutes to one hour per book. Traditionally used for volumes ranging from thirty to over five hundred pages, this technique allows a book to lie flat when opened—up to 180 degrees, or even 360 degrees with flexible covers. By leaving the spine exposed, we explored it as both a structural and aesthetic element, interweaving coloured threads and papers as spaces for experimentation, whether for individual works or for forming a collection.
The blue pages of the cyanotype prints were either incorporated into the coptic-bound books or created beforehand to inspire the process. Cyanotype, also called solar printing, is one of the earliest photographic techniques and was originally used to document plants and manuscripts. The process uses two light-sensitive chemicals that react to ultraviolet (UV) light. To make a cyanotype, objects are placed on paper or fabric coated with the sensitizer and exposed to sunlight or another UV source. The areas exposed to light turn a deep blue, while the areas blocked from light remain white or lighter shades. After rinsing in water, the print becomes permanent.
During our sessions, participants worked with pre-sensitized papers already treated with the necessary chemicals for direct use. They focused on experimenting with form, first using objects to print and later incorporating drawings, negatives, and photographs, sometimes layering or juxtaposing them for added texture and effect.
These workshops were part of a broader series developed in 2025, where each month focused on the combination of two or more techniques, always pairing one bookbinding method with one printing process. Participants were young people aged 6 to 27, and the project aimed to teach artistic techniques that could be used autobiographically, encouraging self-publishing within the group.
Art mediators: Daniela Herig & Alicja Khatchikian
Design: Clara Juliano
August 2025, Bona Peiser e.V.