Sonorous

Tracy joined the Centre for Print Research (CFPR), University of the West of England (UWE), for an artist residency in 2022. Working with Dr Nazmul Karim, Associate Professor for Novel Print Processes and Materials (Graphene), innovative material and technological investigationsn combined traditional printmaking with the super conductive possibilities of Graphene. The aim was to create a print that was able to conduct energy when touched by a human hand, with the potential to engage a viewer through visual, sonic and sensory experiences. 

The facilities and technical staff at CFPR enabled me to integrate new processes and materials into my practice. New processes included: screen printing graphene; laser cut woodblock; polymer gravure etching; cymatics photography; digital photography.

The resulting limited edition print revealed the potential of combining traditional and novel print processes to challenge perceptions of the printed image as being purely visual.  Traditional hand printing combined both screen printed and etched layers, almost invisibly carrying the potential to reveal the unheard in an exchange of energy between the body and ink. So, when wired and connected to a touch board and speaker, as your hand passes in proximity or touches the surface of the print, the performative exchange of energy triggers sound. The unseen revealing the unheard.