Kelsey Whalen: Floral Muse

Using cyanotype, an alternative process of photography, Whalen explores the relationship between women and botany. Her work references the photographs of Anna Atkins, a botanist who created an extensive collection of cyanotypes of the plant life she collected and in turn was considered to be the first female photographer. In the 18th and 19th century botany was a form of science more open to women, and it was a respectable pastime for women to collect and press flowers. Using abstracted imagery of natural forms, Whalen will explore this history, as well as how the flower has been used over time as a metaphor for femininity and female sexuality.