Living substrates
Bacterial cellulose, regional fibers, thickness, hydration and porosity.
Materials · Memory · Futures
RADIX
A Caribbean research program exploring how living matter, light and chemistry can become new photographic systems.
Open the free Negative LabExplore the researchResearch Charter · 0.1 Alpha · July 2026
Photography can become a laboratory for understanding matter again.
RADIX studies, develops and documents biophotographic processes using biomaterials, microorganisms and natural resources from the Caribbean.
We combine historical photography, biomaterials, microbiology, experimental design, art and education to create low-toxicity processes rooted in regional materials.
The goal is not only to produce images, but to create reproducible protocols that other researchers can test, refine and continue.
The free tool
RADIX Negative Lab
Turn a digital photograph into a printable negative for cyanotype and other contact-printing processes—directly in your browser.
Fast preparation
Upload an image, invert it, adjust tone and contrast, preview the negative and export a print-ready file.
Free alpha
Use it freely during this first research phase. Your experiments will help shape the next generation of the tool.
Five interconnected systems
Research areas
Light-sensitive matter
Ferric salts, emulsion stability, contrast and attainable resolution.
Regional resources
Plants, natural pigments and agricultural residues as photographic materials.
Tropical permanence
Aging, humidity response, stabilization and archival methods.
Open methodology
Learning through interdisciplinary laboratories that produce their own supports.
Can the Caribbean build its own platform?
Can reproducible biophotography grow from regional biomaterials without depending exclusively on industrial substrates?
Versión en español
Materia viva, luz, química y territorio.
RADIX es un programa de investigación dedicado al estudio, desarrollo y documentación de procesos biofotográficos utilizando biomateriales, microorganismos y recursos naturales del Caribe.
Misión
Investigar y documentar sistemas biofotográficos reproducibles mediante materiales regionales, procesos de baja toxicidad y metodologías científicas abiertas.
Visión
Convertir RADIX en el primer laboratorio de investigación biofotográfica del Caribe y generar conocimiento abierto sobre biomateriales, fotografía alternativa y educación experimental.
Lo que RADIX no es
No es un taller de kombucha, un manual de cianotipia, un proyecto artístico aislado, una colección de recetas ni un catálogo de materiales. Es un programa de investigación.
Este documento no representa el final de una investigación. Representa el inicio de un sistema abierto.