SLIDES — Shuntong (Anivia) Deng

02.001

Graphic Works

[SLIDES]:
MORE SLIDES & RISO CARDS

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Boardsheet Newsprint, Laser on Paper, Risograph on cardstock, metal prong, various sizes
Pratt 2026

For the past two years at Pratt, I have been working on a project called The Strange Road of Materials: Licio Isolani, which seeks to understand the material reality of Licio Isolani's paintings by reproducing his techniques by combining various metallic atomic pigments with binders. In this process, I have the opportunity to use the microscope at the foundation lab to create microscopic images of my samples. These microscopic images capture the translucency of the linseed oil and the sparkling quality of the metallic pigments, forming images of great graphic beauty.

Microscope images are magnified 2D representations of small objects. Attempting to explore the meaning of being magnified, or being “big,” this project, named Slides, takes my microscopic images from my samples and magnifies them into an even more unprecedented scale - the size of a digital broadsheet. By printing these images on newsprint, the work aims to contrast the book's lightness with the images' size. Accompanied by a smaller pamphlet called More Slides, the work further challenges the conventional way of viewing an image. Indeed, with the laser-printed pamphlet measuring 9 inches by 7.5 inches, one is expected to examine the pigments at even higher magnification; yet the photo's pixelated nature made it impossible for viewers to directly perceive the particles, forcing them to fill in the blanks. More Slides is also bound to Slides with a metal strip, suggesting a close relationship between the two books' content. Loosely tucked inside the pamphlet are some small 5-inch-by-3.75-inch riso cards, which aim to break the work's reading pace by twisting the image's colors, further hindering the viewing process. As a result, using various contrasting sizes, I hope my book will not only allow me to marvel at the beauty of these samples but also to consider how magnifying a small work changes the viewer’s perception of the object. Using various printing methods, I also hope the book's materiality will further prompt readers to understand the importance of the materials and binders used in a painting.