The Noise of the Sun 07, 2026; Mezzotint on steel-reinforced copper plate, etching ink, varnished, 40 x 30 cm
To produce the series of works 'The Noice of the Sun', Stachon has employed the traditional mezzotint technique. In this process, a copper plate is completely roughened so that it produces a deep black surface when printed. The surface is then polished using a fine steel tool. This produces drawings that emerge from the black and, thanks to their exceptional tonal depth, create a highly three-dimensional effect. The copper plates are then steel-plated. This gives them a steel-coloured surface, which not only increases their durability but also reveals a new aesthetic quality: the drawings on the plates themselves are only visible under certain conditions. It is only through the targeted incidence of light and the movement of the viewer that the motifs emerge. They appear and disappear again, changing with the angle of view and thereby creating an almost cinematic impression. However, unlike usual, it is no longer the prints but the processed metal plates themselves that take centre stage as independent artistic objects in the series ‘The Noise of the Sun’. Only a small, limited number of prints will accompany the series in a collector’s folder.
Thematically, the works focus on the traces that human activity leaves behind in landscapes – ranging from subtle shifts to drastic changes. These observations give rise to a multifaceted picture of contemporary landscapes that hints at the complex relationship between humankind and nature. Here, the sense of beauty and loss coexist side by side.
The Noise of the Sun, 2026; Mezzotint on steel-reinforced copper plate, etching ink, varnished, 40 x 30 cm, each
Natalia Stachon in her studio, drawing on the copper plates with a steel tool