Fish Prints - Luzalba

a fish is sitting on a table next to a bottle of paint

/fish prints

LUZALBA• EST 20|22•

FISH PRINTS • consciousness and sustainability

Fish Prints is an artistic project focused on documenting, transmitting and preserving the fishing traditions and marine species of the Portuguese Atlantic Coast. It focuses on the sea culture by exploring and cataloging local resources. The mission is to pay a special tribute to the Portuguese marine heritage and their (future) communities.

The fish and the ocean are the DNA of Portuguese culture. It is an intrinsic relationship that we cannot ignore. But sometimes our costumes can be quite unpleasant for the environment. Better if we can be more conscientious to defend and protect our blue home. How many marine species currently inhabit the Portuguese coasts? Who are these fish? How are they captured? These are some of the key points of this project. And why talk about it? Because many of these species, habitats and even traditions are threatened, sometimes already extinct.

But how can this project help? It helps by finding a very special bridge between people and science, through art. Fishing communities (or related) can find in the pieces of art a completely new vision of their common reality. Biologists can catalog species as well discover and record details more accurately. The fish became more than a dish, gaining a second life. Many reflections come to the fore and sustainability always overcomes.

Currently, the project is located in the south of Portugal, specifically on the SW coast of the Algarve (Sagres). However, one of the aims is to extend the works to other maritime cultures around the world.

FISH PRINTS • the process

The process is like a ritual: it's a direct impression of a fish, caught through local artisanal fishing, opening the discourse to conscious consumption. The engraving method uses fresh fish, which once prepared (complete with scales) is covered in ink, namely squid or cuttlefish black ink. After this process, the decal/print is made using cotton fabric, thus registering all the original shapes and textures of the organism.

Each fish can be printed more than once (sometimes 3/4 depends on conditions), but all prints are unique. In the end, the fish are clean and ready for consumption, with no waste. The fabrics are bed sheets reclaimed from various hotels (waste cause little stains are huge). And so we complete a circle where art and sustainability complement each other.

Inspired by the Japanese technique Gyotaku ("gyo" means fish and "taku" rubbing or impression), the original process uses paper and calligraphy ink to print the fish. LUZALBA Fish Prints reinterprets this technique and replaces paper with fabric (recycled hotel sheets) and paint with squid/cuttlefish black fresh ink.

This exchange of materials guided the artist towards her specific technique. In addition, it allowed the creation of a new method that uses only local natural resources, which can be adapted to any part of the world (while maintaining its individuality).

/cyanotype

MARINE SPECIES • HERBARIUM

a woman holding up a framed print of a fish

CYANOTYPE • Fish and Herbarium

The Natural World | Portuguese Coast | ⚓️ is a project that uses the Cyanotype (old photographic print technique) to register the wildlife and landscapes of Portugal. Thought a chemical process of two solutions: potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium, the combination goes under the sun and transform positive images and natural elements in gorgeous cyan-blue prints.