1,164 Cows
Cyanotype Animation on Watercolour Paper
1,164 seconds | 1,164 frames
For over a century, gelatine created from cow bones has been considered required for analogue photography, specifically the silver gelatine process. In fact, still to this day there are no film-stocks on the market that do not contain bovine gelatine. Zero alternatives. As a result, consumer film last year alone was estimated to need 1,164 cows for production.
Through an installation of cyanotype imagery, sound, and material from the Swedish Kosläpp, the work 1,164 Cows invites a closer look at our relationship to cows today, calling attention to how nonhuman animal products are unconsciously used in our daily lives, often hidden or simply justified as “by-products” by those in the industry.
Each cyanotype coated and exposed for the animation is in honour of the 1,164 sentient beings who lost their life in 2025 to bind a gelatinous image onto a roll of film.
PDF – Flower Power Photography – (Un)Conscious Materialities, Collaborative Workshops, & Cows
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Why Look at Cows: On Bovine Gelatine and Photography