The walls in Marathon City Hall are looking a bit more blue these days – in a good way. Ahead of the Marathon City Council’s Jan. 13 session, local leaders and art enthusiasts gathered for the official debut of five cyanotype pieces by Maine-based artist Timothy Goldkin.
Scouring the archives of the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida Keys History Center and the Edwin Swift Collection, Goldkin used digitized versions of historic Marathon images to create 3- by 4-foot photographic negatives, later producing his final cyanotype prints by using light-sensitive chemicals and UV rays to create the distinctive blue-and-white imagery.
“It’s really cool to take these analog images, bring them into the 21st century, and then reproduce them back through this older medium,” Goldkin said of the process, which dates back to the mid-1800s.
Scenes depicted in Goldkin’s work include the Florida East Coast Railway Company’s docks and office in Marathon from 1910, as well as several shrimp boat docks, vessels and workers, among others.
“I’ve always been captivated by island cultures – I find that each island is its own microcosm,” said Goldkin, who first met City Manager George Garrett and began talks of a Marathon installation during his art residency at the Studios of Key West. “I’ve always appreciated working waterfronts and lifestyles of island communities, so that drew me to the Keys.”
Goldkin’s work is on permanent display in the entrance corridor of Marathon City Hall. Learn more about Goldkin’s work at ramblemoredesign.com.
