Light Sensitive Fabric Tests

I have been experiementing with light sensitive fabric paint in order to test the effect of objects sitting on a window sill and the shapes projected from the curtain to the room. Setacolor is a fabric paint that sets in the sun, a bit like developing a photograph. So the objects on the window sill would prevent the dye setting leaving a white shadow on the fabric. But when the object is removed, over time the colour would fade distorting the image. Unfortunately the method of make this development takes only a few minutes. I tested it by placing a key ring of a london bus over the fabric while still wet. When it dried it left the shadow appearing below.

I also tested the technique by mixing it with binder in order to screen print it onto a large piece of fabric, but this did not work. I think the binder interupted the chemical reaction with the sun.


Another light sensitive fabric dye I tested is UV photochromic pigment. In the sunlight the fabric turns bright blue, but when inside the fabric is a pale green.

I screen printed the dye onto a piece of fabric and tested the sensitivity of placing object in the middle of the piece which when I removed was green shadow of the object.