Following in the Footsteps of Gutenberg
2006
The goal of this project was to bring the meaning and expressive potentials of historically important media to young creative people and to help them translate them into their own context and life experience.
The historic importance of the printed text lay in democratizing knowledge. Through the possibility of multiplication and dissemination of knowledge the public became empowered to increased communication and commerce. The production of paper and books was intricately linked to this power.
In a ten day structured learning experience skills were developed that integrated printed text into artists books made of handmade paper. Production and editioning techniques were explored in respect to the use and value of making multiples from works of art.
Part I
Papermaking
We explored a variety of techniques of making paper by hand. This included several pulps from local materials (such as corn husks, Iris, Lilly as well as recycled paper) dyed with local plants (such as onion skins and walnut hull). The culmination was a complex set of larger colored sheets with text stencils.
The historic importance of the printed text lay in democratizing knowledge. Through the possibility of multiplication and dissemination of knowledge the public became empowered to increased communication and commerce. The production of paper and books was intricately linked to this power.
In a ten day structured learning experience skills were developed that integrated printed text into artists books made of handmade paper. Production and editioning techniques were explored in respect to the use and value of making multiples from works of art.
Part I
Papermaking
We explored a variety of techniques of making paper by hand. This included several pulps from local materials (such as corn husks, Iris, Lilly as well as recycled paper) dyed with local plants (such as onion skins and walnut hull). The culmination was a complex set of larger colored sheets with text stencils.
Part II
Printing onto handmade paper from the letterpress
Using the letterpress shop at Herron School of Art & Design at IUPUI we learned to set type by hand onto a Vandercook Press, ink up the type and operate the press. The press is hand-cranked and each child got to print their respective sheet of paper. Handmade sheets had been prepared for this session in a collaborative process. The sheets were 18”x24” in size with a white layer and brown layer of stenciled text (names of participants). A set of 5 copies, one for each participant, with a few extras for mistakes
Part III:
Bookmaking
In addition we bound our handmade sheets into books and objects. Most of the books carried additional hand printed text or images from carved linoleum blocks. One of our goals was for each to produce a unique body of work that could be for sale.
Part IV
Sales Day
We explored the value of work made by hand. Works editioned into multiples during our workshop were offered for sale to the Bloomington community
Part V
Ole Brereton filming the printing process
Filming
“Following in Gutenberg’s Footsteps – Children Making Hand Printed Books and Handmade Paper”
Filmed by:
Ole Brereton and Mark Pallman
Aired on the local community channel, CATS TV Bloomington, IN
in 2007
Aired on the local community channel, CATS TV Bloomington, IN
in 2007
The movie is to provide a working model: the creative activities presented here can be transposed into other communal arrangements.
Goals for the movie:
To show
- how children naturally form cohesive groups as they learn together: while engaged creatively a dynamic grows between playfulness and learning
- the joining of age-old (serious!) practices with playfulness
- how children gravitate towards each other through their creative work
- ambiance of studio/shop/home and how students begin to take ownership of these spaces as they learn to use equipment (clean up even becomes a matter of pride!)
- relationship of my own studio production to children’s work as its presence is visible in the background of activities. Show relationship of a professional ambiance to children’s work (Herron shop).
- the culling of individual goals, communal goals through discussion:
what is the value of my work?
can I make my work mean something/be useful to others? to the context of my life in my community?
- the interrelationship between papermaking and printing, papermaking and making books, papermaking/printing/books and the technical/contextual transitions from media to media