ziatype

n. a photo-printing process that uses palladium and platinum and does not require developer fluid. Subjects: English, Arts & Literature

Etymological Note: The process was created by photographer Richard Sullivan of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Technical details of ziatype can be found at his web site, where it is explained that “the Ziatype was named for the ancient New Mexico Anasazi pueblo people’s symbol for the sun. The Zia is the familiar circular image with 4 sets of 4 rays seen on the flag of New Mexico.”

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Citations: 1997 [Paul Romaniuk] Usenet: Paul Romaniuk (Oct. 2) “Paper Negatives”: I’m getting interested in trying some alternative processes like kallitype and ziatype. For this, I’ll need to convert 35 mm negs and positives to 8X10, 11X14 etc. paper negatives for the contact printing. 1998 Richard Farber Historic Photographic Processes (Oct. 1) p. 112: Richard Sullivan announced a palladium and gold POP (and developing-out) process in 1996 called the Ziatype. Lithium chloropalladite is used for cool tones and the addition of sodium tungstate to give warm brown to sepia tones. 1998 Sil Horwitz PSA Journal (Nov. 1) “Tools for Photographers”: Continuing with “alternative” photography, Richard Sullivan and Carl Weese are the authors of a new definitive work, The New Platinum Print.…This covers the complete field of chemical and procedural controls of color and contrast for expressive photographic printing in platinum, palladium, and gold, introducing the new Ziatype process, while explaining in detail the traditional methods. 2005 Robert McFarlane Sydney Morning Herald (May 17) “From the mean streets to silent meadows”: Kersey uses several processes for printing his pictures, from traditional silver gelatin prints to a mysterious, little-known technique called a ziatype. Named after the Native American word zia, meaning “sun,” these exquisite, hand-coated art paper prints are created by exposure to sunlight and made visible by little more than immersion in water, followed by a brief chemical bath.

Posted 26 May 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend