Flyology (The Language of Ada Lovelace)

Title | Flyology (The Language of Ada Lovelace)
Type | Original 3-Dimensional Papercut Cyanotype, 24-carat gold leaf Inspiration | Ada Lovelace
Year | 2024
Materials | Cyanotype, handmade paper, 24-carat gold leaf
12.2 inches frame diameter x 1.2 frame depth 

Inspiration-

Inspired by mathematician, writer and 'First Lady' of computer programming Ada Lovelace. A visionary who gave us a first glimpse of the idea of universal computation, Lovelace was drawn to abstract ways of thinking using ‘poetical science.’ Her thwarted potential, passion and imaginative intuition, have made her a powerful symbol for modern women in technology.

Her thwarted potential, and her passion and vision for technology, have made her a powerful symbol for modern women in technology. Charles Babbage described her as ‘that Enchantress who has thrown her magical spell around the most abstract of Sciences and has grasped it with a force which few masculine intellects could have exerted over it.’

Ada herself from childhood had a fascination with machines– designing fanciful boats and steam flying machines, poring over the diagrams of the new inventions of the Industrial Revolution that filled the scientific magazines of the time.

This artwork celebrates her interest in phrenology, love of horse racing and Lovelace’s conceptualization of a flying machine in horse form found in her book Flyology. After studying the anatomy of birds and the suitability of various materials, the young girl illustrated plans to construct a winged flying apparatus before moving on to think about powered flight. “I have got a scheme,” she wrote to her mother, “to make a thing in the form of a horse with a steam engine in the inside so contrived as to move an immense pair of wings, fixed on the outside of the horse, in such a manner as to carry it up into the air while a person sits on its back.”

She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation and published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is widely regarded as the first to recognise the full potential of computers and one of the first computer programmers.
She was a visionary who predicted that computers could do more than just crunch numbers, Lovelace foresaw the multi-purpose functionality of the modern computer.

Technique-

Flyology (The Language of Ada Lovelace) was created by constructing a hand-cut collage using female

photographic portraiture, photographs of an antique tin toy horse and photograms of insect wings, with photograms of moons and planets from antique glass negatives and illustrations of binary code and planets..

After coating the handmade paper with light-sensitive chemistry, it is left to dry in a dark room. The large-scale negative is contact printed onto the paper by exposure to daylight (UV rays). The print is then processed by thoroughly washing in water to remove any unexposed solution. It can then be hung to dry, developing to full density Prussian blue after 24 hours.

Once dried, the pieces are cut out and mounted onto the base print to create a multi-layered, 3-dimensional collaged cyanotype and hand finished with 24-carat gold leaf.

Dimensions

12.2 inches frame diameter x 1.2 frame depth

Paper

Handmade recycled cotton rag paper:
150- 320gsm / 100% Cotton Rag / Recycled / Acid Free / Medium Rough

Mount

We use float mounting for all of our framed cyanotypes. The artwork floats above a snow-white 8001 mount board, to showcase the paper texture and deckled edging.

Framing

Framed artwork will arrive ready to hang. Each frame is handmade by our London based design team.

All frames come with gallery spec, Artglass AR70 / 3mm anti-reflective/ 79% UV protected glazing as standard.

If clients would like a bespoke frame, please let me know as I can have them made in alternative colours, gilding and glazing options.