This week’s Spotlight is on “Tin Toy” by Gustavo Castilla. A photograph of a quirky toy, this piece is overflowing with character and charm. The toy appears to be of a robotic dog, playful and zany with big, borrowing eyes. “Tin Toy” invites the onlooker to develop a backstory, encouraging curiosity and imagination. It’s almost as if the dog is a living creature, begging to be played with.
“Tin Toy” is Cyanotype, which means it was developed using ammonium iron citrate and potassium ferricyanide to create a “blueprint”. This photograph is a unique cyanotype because it not strikingly blue but rather muted due to the increased amount of exposure to ultraviolet light.