EVENING LABs : WIZARD GALLERY HOUSE

“FLYSCH” is a photographic project based around Bilbao’s metallurgical history and its impact on the basque landscape. The title refers to a layered rock formation found in the basque coast and an old German word that means “to melt”.

During the XX century, the main industrial activity in Bilbao was metallurgy. The iron mineral was transformed into finished metallic products in three stages: roasting, melting and refining. The iron sheets were later exported and this led to the creation of quarries, blast furnaces, ports and shipyards.

The work is a combination of research and process. I visited different foundries in Bilbao and London to understand the different steps and try different printing and casting techniques based on them.

Bilbao has often been represented with very muted colors due to its rainy weather and grey cityscape. Because I was born after deindustrialization, I was naturally drawn to more vibrant colors. From the intense iron particles in the rocks to the bright tones of the sea containers.

Printing was a pivotal phase in the project. A key reference was Marisa Gonzalez’s Generative Systems (1973). She used the first ever color copier to alter her own photographs in color and form. In FLYSCH, the process was related to metallurgy. It started as an accident three years ago at university. I printed on the wrong side of the paper and caused the ink to slide. This time, I developed this technique with more ink to accentuate the melting stage.