SATIN

2024

This project, using the Van Dyke Brown printing process, explores the intimate relationship between ballet dancers and their pointe shoes. Pointe shoes deteriorate quickly as the dancer wears them, thus showing how the shoe molds to the dancers foot in addition to the worn surfaces. 

A bare foot was printed onto the top of a pointe shoe to visually expose what is beneath the layers of cardboard and glue. In addition, I chose to photograph dancers’ full bodies and print them onto sheets of satin fabric, the material used on the outside of pointe shoes, to emphasize the physical connection to their art form. 

I chose to use the Van Dyke Brown photographic process because I was drawn to their distinctive warm tones and painterly quality. This process allows me to create work that feels both intimate and organic, connecting the subject to the medium in a deeply personal way. Though this process was challenging to perform on a 3D object and fabric, I found myself excited about the imperfections that emerged. Just as a dancer's journey is marked with moments of struggle, growth, and individuality, these imperfections became a moment of celebrating flaws in the art of dance and in the art of this photographic process.

Minimalist Van Dyke Brown print on a pointe shoe. Focus on the raw sepia tones and tactile satin. Professional alternative process imagery.
Van Dyke Brown print on satin. Capturing the fluid motion of dance through archival textures. Fine art and luxury textile photography.
Van Dyke Brown print on satin. Capturing the fluid motion of dance through archival textures. Fine art and luxury textile photography.
Van Dyke Brown print on satin. Capturing the fluid motion of dance through archival textures. Fine art and luxury textile photography.
Van Dyke Brown print on satin. Capturing the fluid motion of dance through archival textures. Fine art and luxury textile photography.
Van Dyke Brown print on satin. Capturing the fluid motion of dance through archival textures. Fine art and luxury textile photography.