Manufactory

Yesterday, I popped into Old Spitalfields Market to an event that is part of the London Design Festival 2017. For this event Kingston School of Art’s Design Departments has migrate en-masse to the old market. They've reshaped the metal stalls as makerspaces and are inviting in locals, visitors, schools and businesses to re-imagine the Market together. It is Kingston's first whole-School event run by tutors, students and recent graduates and it runs 21–23 September at Old Spitalfields Market - so you can still catch it now - on today and on Saturday.

...and why should you go? Because there are 31 activities including live Signwriting (by Josh Hallam Holden who I met and is a very nice guy) to making chairs out of rubbish, a scribe and the wonderfully named Megatron.

Of particular interest is the "Paper-Print-Bind" section run by tutors Rose Gridneff, Andrew Haslam and Simon Goode.

Using waste card and paper collected from the Market itself, you can experience the process of book production from start to finish—through paper making, letterpress printing, and bookbinding.

Here is Simon Goode demonstrating handmade papermaking:

 ...and here is a visitor participating - she is actually couching (pronounced ‘coo-ching’) which is the term papermakers use to describe transferring a newly formed sheet of paper from the mould to the drying felts, which serves to remove the moisture:

 ...and a finished sheet of paper that I made!

Below is Andy Haslam printing on the Farley proofing press

...and Simon Goode getting visitors involved in book-making

These processes were historically prevalent in this area of the city - particularly towards Clerkenwell and are now used in the workshops at Kingston School of Art. Working with pre-digital processes gives their students a deeper understanding of materiality within graphic design. Well done to Kieran O'Connor for all his hard work co-ordinating the event.

..and a quick plug for the paper! the A2 size 'maps' are riso printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 80gsm - lovely.

Why not go along today or tomorrow and have a go and connect to these traditional, locally significant methods of making, and take away your very own sketchbook in which to develop ideas for a productive future for Spitalfields!

www.manufactory.works

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.09.2017

States of Change

Yesterday evening I was invited to an exhibition by 2nd year Graphic Design students at Kingston University called States of Change at Hoxton Arches.

“How does place impact on culture? How does culture permeate place? What can we learn from London and Berlin, two cities at different stages of cultural growth? ‘States of Change’ establishes the vantage point of design students examining two working environments and their surrounding culture. An assembly of printed matter, photography and moving image documenting recent encounters with the places and people of London and Berlin.” 

 

As well as the exhibits (print, photography and moving image) in the bar area, there was a 'fly-posting' wall where you could post up, write, and spray paint.  

The below image shows a superbly produced piece of literature titled 'Berliner Schnauze' by Scarlett Chetwin and Seb Price. Each page is perforated in a variety of angles opening to reveal a page below, in the same way that the fly posters in Berlin are layered.

This bunch of enterprising second years were also selling publications and ephemera from the exhibition.

As I understand it, the idea of the show was suggested by the tutors but it was entirely actioned by the students, including sorting out the venue, the beer, the publications and the invitation list, so I am pleased to have made it onto the list!

Thanks to all the students involved and the teaching staff, Zoë Bather, Cathy Gale, Rose Gridneff, Andrew Haslam and Marcus Leis Allion.

https://www.instagram.com/statesofchange/
https://www.facebook.com/events/774720392703875

Posted by Justin Hobson 06.04.2017

Hatch Show Print

Yesterday evening Jim Sherraden, designer from Hatch Show Print (based in Nashville) gave a talk at the LCC in the Main Lecture Theatre.

The talk was organised by Alex Cooper and Rose Gridneff at the Letterpress Workshop at the LCC. Unfortunately I couldn't attend but they kindly sent me the promotional poster, printed 3 colour Letterpress, printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 80gsm.(size 835x594mm)

This talk accompanied the first UK exhibition for Hatch Show Print at the Chelsea Space and runs until December.  http://www.chelseaspace.org/archive/hatch-info.html

Here's Hatch Show Print's website:
http://countrymusichalloffame.org/hatch-show-print-is-moving/

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.11.2013

Letterpress: Something to Say

 

On Friday, I was lucky enough to go to the St Brides conference titled "Letterpress: Something to Say"

This one-day conference set out "to explore letterpress as a means for delivering real content, be that a set of sharply thought-through design intentions; a re-imagining of the possibilities of the inky process itself; an analogue springboard to new digital visuals and environments; or a reconnection with the power of a simple press to communicate ideas. To step beyond the production of work to be merely admired and consumed, and to reclaim letterpress as a viable means of distributing a message; to tell stories; to galvanize our communities; to allow practice to resonate beyond the frames of our living room walls"

Speakers included Thomas Gravemaker, Ian Gabb, Jono Lewarne & Charlotte Hetherington, L’automatica (Barcelona), Anthony Burrill, Dylan Kendle (Tomato) and Gee Vaucher plus a presentation on the 6x6 project which is a collaboration between staff and students from six colleges with active letterpress workshops (CSM, Brighton, Camberwell, Lincoln, LCC, and Glasgow)

Ian Gabb from the RCA (above) delivering his excellently "shambolic" talk (...his words, not mine!)



Workshop demonstrations were held throughout the day. Richard Lawrence was working on a very interesting linocutting project that he took the time to explain to me.

Helen Ingham from Hi-Artz Press www.hi-artz.co.uk was also in the workshop giving demonstrations and working on projects.

Below is my modest little table of printed examples that I took along to show our papers in action:

 ...and who should have the table next to me, but my industry colleagues from that other well known, Hull based, paper merchant! Mark and Vanessa were good company and we enjoyed the day together.

 As we were in a side room, this is the sign I wrote (...exhibiting no bias at all!)

It was an excellent day and most important of all, it was a sell out. This is the third one day conference that they have run, so the lesson here is book early, to avoid disappointment. Congratulations to the organisers, Catherine Dixon and Rose Gridneff and thanks to them for inviting me along.

http://www.stbride.org/
http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/something-to-say
http://letterpressworkshop.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.11.2012