Digital BW, The Print

I am glad that you suggest I don¹t need to worry about the matt.  This
conversation has gone a full circle.  It began with a discussion of the
power of print sprays to potentially alleviate two things: (1) bronzing and
(2) the need for glazing (which has lengthened into an exploration of the
viability of various dry mounting techniques).  I indicated a desire not to
use glazing but to retain (for small prints less than A3+ or even larger)
the frame and matt combination (I agree with your taste in frame and matt
but note that it is entirely image, display location and taste specific).
This was met with concern that exposing the matt to the elements would lead
to its rapid decay or worse the attraction of insects ie that a sprayed
print with a matt is a worse technical (not aesthetic) situation than a
sprayed print alone...in each case without glass.  If the matt is a zero
element in the equation then great.  The problem collapses to a discussion
of whether a print spray will allow prints to be displayed without glass.
(Others have recently indicated a desire to explore sprayed print and frame
but without matt and again without glass.)  Perhaps you will raise these
same points with those discussing dry mounting without glass.  In effect all
you are saying is that spraying does not alleviate the need for glazing but
you are also, I fear, mixing taste into the equation.  For very large
prints, I would prefer a method of exhibition that does not include a frame
or matt (eg mounting on an aluminium sheet and set off the wall by say 2-3
inches).  Large photographs can, I believe, have a presence that does not
require the extra element of attention gathering that a frame can provide.
For example, I love the large images by Andreas Gursky that are displayed at
the Tate Modern ­ without glazing.  As for pinning, I am sure you have seen
many examples of photos _pinned_ to a backing within a deep frame, allowing
the print itself to settle freely and even turn at the edges.  Whether or
not there is a sheet of glazing in front simply turns on issue two above
(and taste!).  

The bottom line is that I believe there are many people who would prefer to
not have to place their work behind glass, ie the taste/demand side is
there.  The question is whether there exists a satisfactory technical/supply
side solution to meet this demand.

Try something different ­ you might like it

:-)


From: Alan Zinn <AZinn@...>
Reply-To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 09:37:38 -0800
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: Epson Premier Semi-gloss, Semi-matte &
PremierArt Print Shield

At 12:06 AM 12/15/03 +0000, you wrote:


>Alan,
> >
> >I just have to ask - have you ever seen a photograph in a gallery or
> >museum framed and matted but not glazed?
>
>This is irrelevant. It is a look that I like (and do others who have seen
>them) and hope to be able to achieve ­ I am not bound by precedent. The
>question is whether it can be done without (severely) reducing the life
>expectancy of the print or incurring decay of the frame materials.  I am
>surprised to learn that matting boards are not as archival as I would expect
>(and worse yet potentially a delicacy for insects).  However, to answer your
>question, I have certainly seen many exhibitions where the images were not
>behind glass (I would say this is most common) and also framed without glass
>­ I don¹t recall whether they were matted or not.


Steve,

At the risk of quibbling - leaving the print open to the elements is the
surest way to loose it. Casual, student galleries my have pictures pinned
to the wall, but really... .  In the first place conservancy (which is the
main issue with so-called archive-ability) is a process that includes
restore-ability.  Imagine ordinary window panes - they need cleaning even
if they are never touched. The same residue that gets on glass also gets on
paper. Egads!  Worrying about the matt makes no sense either - it is easily
replaced every twenty or thirty years.  Make display copies for your
un-glazed work and keep conserved copies.

Unless the frame is intended to complement a decorating theme - a perfectly
fine choice and subject to all sorts of tastes,  it is desirable to mount
salon prints with a generous, plain white overmat and a simple, thin
cross-section frame so as not to detract from the picture.

AZ

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