Great Sale Wood is a short, animated film crafted through the sustainable process of cyanotype, which uses the natural elements of UV light and water. Taking half a year to complete, the two-minute animation is comprised of over 2,800 hand-printed frames. The film explores themes of ecology, climate crisis and spiritualism. I’ve always been inspired by the spirituality and interconnected beauty of the wildlife around forests.

“I recorded the footage and audio around Epping Forest. I then edited the video and exported it into individual frames to turn into contact sheets with nine frames per page. I used watercolour paper treated in the cyanotype solution, acetate, and UV light to expose the images. I turned my bedroom into a mini cyanotype factory, with the UV light being held together by string and shoes, pegs used to hold the glass to the prints and my wardrobe used as a makeshift darkroom. After UV exposure, I washed the prints in second-hand developing trays and hung them to dry. After drying, I scanned each frame and edited them back into a video. The audio was created using a synth combined with digital manipulations of the field recordings I took.

Directed, shot and edited by Michaela DavisSound by Michaela Davis and Dean Logan

Thank you to Waltham Forest Council and the Make it Happen Grant 2023Featured in Dazed Digital