“Pressed in Light: Flora of the Catskills” is a collaborative art project between Leslie LeFranc and Kaitlyn Danielson.
LeFranc, a florist, collects local botanical specimens by foraging and personal cultivation. To maintain the natural movement and integrity of each plant, she carefully places them in a handmade press, where they lay to rest for months to years at a time.
Working together with Danielson, a photographer, the duo then imprints these delicate specimens on photographic paper using the lumen print process. Both fresh and dried flora are placed on gelatin silver photo paper and directly exposed to sunlight, mimicking the photosynthetic process. The sunlight and plant specimens create a reaction in the paper, leaving a ghostly image that is then immortalized in the darkroom.
Highlighting the simple yet profound beauty of local plant life, LeFranc and Danielson hope to spark awe of the natural world and the responsibility we have in protecting it.