Meghann Riepenhoff: Ice

Luscious cyanotype collaborations with wintry waters

Following Meghann Riepenhoff''s (born 1979) acclaimed 2018 publication Littoral Drift + Ecotone, this volume features unique cyanotype prints made in freezing landscapes, where elements like precipitation, waves, wind and sediment physically etch into the photographic materials. Made in waters ranging from Walden Pond to remote creeks in Western Washington, the prints are full of subtle details, each expressing a slightly different temperature, type of water and crystalline structure of ice forming on photographic paper.
Through this process, Riepenhoff participates in a type of “collaboration” with the landscape, in which she opens herself to chance and embraces the textures of nature into her working process. Variations of inky blues, flecks of gold and spots of white make up the dreamlike, abstract prints and create a raw and physical impression of nature. Rebecca Solnit contributes an accompanying essay.