These are the first working examples of digital sky prints and watercolours from a collection of hundreds of photographs that I have taken looking up at the sky. The first photographs were taken in June 2013 and I have continued to take photos whenever I notice the sky. Humboldt’s and Saussure’s original 1789 Cyanometer is a conceptual and visual device for measuring the blueness and the refrain for this project. Extending the notion of measurement further, the circular chart is one method to represent percentages of colour. The sky photographs are utilised as a source material and then rendered in watercolour. Data is visual translated.
The digital prints will be part a collection of 1000 images selected to form the final Cloud Atlas, while the watercolours depict a specific moment in time, quantifying and mapping the skies. Water bearing clouds are an essential part of creating a fresh water cycle, with drinking water in many parts of the earth being a precious commodity. With increased temperatures the demands for fresh water will increase. This project is in part about recording, drawing attention to the atmosphere above and re-framing ‘landscape’.
Heather Hesterman 