The blueprints

I've been exploring the history and the process of blueprints as they are a vital material we need to attain, initially our thinking was we would try and find / buy some or produce our own designs on a different but appropriate material (this may still be a good option). However, the more I have been reading, the more appealing the idea of producing our own original blueprints in the authentic manner with which they were once created.

Blueprints were traditionally made using a cyanotype photographic process involving a reaction between two chemicals, potassium ferricyanide and ammonium ferric citrate. You soak paper / cloth etc in the solution then expose it to sunlight (UV) through a large format negative with the design on or expose it like a photogram and place the design onto the paper to block out areas of light to form an image. The chemicals expose to the light will turn a deep blue colour and the areas unexposed (the design) will remain white, the print is then rinsed to removed the water-soluble chemical traces and leave the non-water soluble chemicals.... and you should be left with a white print on blue colour paper!

Cyanotype Print ^

Authentic Blueprint ^

This is all really interesting to me and would pose an exciting challenge to us which could leave us with some highly authentic and fantastic objects. I don't know how feasible this plan is yet, the design has to be fully drawn up for each machine and i need to check the chemicals are easily available (in uni hopefully). Although this would take some time and some testing, it is a relatively simple age old photographic process and given the importance of the blueprints to the narrative and the emphasis placed upon them in the installation, the extra time and effort to produce them could be well worth it.