I became aware of the work of Ryan Molloy after watching the Letterpress United – Making Type (2020) presentation. A graphic designer, typographer and educator, Ryan presented a series of his experimental typefaces that he designs and cuts using a CNC machine.
What attracted me to Ryans work was his very different perspective on the medium of letterpress printing which I beleive is informed by his background in street art. Much of his personal work shows evidence of the fluid letterforms of graffiti writing (fig 1) which he has then formalised, refined and transferred into his professional work (fig 2).
Fig 1. El Chupo Print (Ryan Molloy 2018).
Fig 2. Arts Cal Poster (Ryan Molloy 2017)
This freedom of movement and experimental approach is also mirrored in his work using letterpress blocks and printing methods. Gblox (fig 3 and fig 4) is a typeface created by cropping into hand drawn letterforms, which are then CNC cut into blocks. The resulting prints merge the non-standard shapes of lettering with the rigid structure of a letterpress print.
Fig 3. Gbloxs (Ryan Molloy 2020)
Fig 4. Gbloxs Print (Ryan Molloy 2020)
With having access to his own router Ryan has been exploring the creation of type that orientates in none standard ways. In my proposal journal I comment that “conventional type for letterpress printing is created to be linear, that is at runs from left to right in a straight line. These type faces are cut into different shaped blocks that interlink to create forms that are normally unheard of within letterpress printing.”
Modular Circular Ornaments (Ryan Molloy 2020)
Some key parts that came out of our discussion were that, like myself and Chris Wilson, Ryan is an educator himself who works with degree equivalent Graphic Design students in the USA. We spoke of the benefits of having access to various tools like CNCs and laser cutters while working as part of a university as well as a desire to be creating new forms of type that push the medium on ward. We discussed how letterpress as a medium will remain attached to 0.918″ being the height of printing blocks until a new style of adjustable press is created that is affordable and accurate enough to replace vintage presses. The part I found most helpful was the understanding that new technologies allow much more freedom and control over the cutting/shaping process. With traditional processes such as pantographs you are limited by the detail of the pattern you use as a template as well as the patience of the operator controlling it. Whereas with a computer controlled CNC the digital pattern can be incredibly detailed due to the high quality modern router tips and the fact that it will be cut via the CNC.
Fig 2. Similar letterforms apparent across multiple typefaces
As shown above in fig 1, different letters are made up of different components. In general a letter will be made of the same components, though the style of these components may change depending on the design of the typeface and its classification, as you can see from fig 2. Indeed it is this collection of definable components from letter to letter that define it as being able to be identified as the letter in question.
Fig 3. Root forms of letters
Within the alphabet there are various letters which have visual similarities to one another, the design of these letters often informs the design of other similar letters. How closely linked these similar letters will be in the design of their letterforms will be based on the learned eye of the type designer when they construct the typeface. A letter needs to be distinct from another similar letter whilst still being stylistically similar to the rest of the typeface.
When analysing a typeface you can find various recurring forms, with the design of one component informing another with regards to how a line terminates, how sharp a curve is and thick a stroke should be. This internal set of rules is defined by the type designer and it is what makes a letterform be recognisable as part of a typeface rather than being a disparate letterform.
Fig 4. Recurring forms
Broadly typefaces can be divided into two styles, Serif and Sans Serif. In his book on the subject, typographer Bringhurst says a serif is a is simply defined as a “stroke added to the beginning or end of one of the main strokes of a letter. In the roman alphabet, serifs are usually reflexive finishing strokes, forming unilateral or bilateral stops. (They are unilateral if they project only to one side of the main stroke, like the serifs at the head of T and the foot of L, and bilateral if they project to both sides, like the serifs at the foot of T and the head of L.) Transitive serifs-smooth: entry or exit strokes – are usual in italic.”. But there is much historical and stylistic variation within each. In some cases the design of a typefaces individual component can be so distinct it is possible to name the face simply by seeing the component in question. Further expanding on the classfication of serifs, Bringhurst continues by outlining the following terms:
“Abrupt and Adnate Serifs are either abrupt – meaning they break from the stem suddenly at an angle or they are adnate, meaning that they flow smoothly into or out of the stem. In the older typographic literature, adnate serifs are generally described as bracketed.
Bilateral – serifs extending to both sides. There are many descriptive terms for serifs, especially as they have developed in roman faces. They may be not only unilateral or bilateral, but also long or short, thick or thin, pointed or blunt, abrupt or adnate, horizontal or vertical or oblique, tapered, triangular, and so on. In texturas and some frakturs, they are usually scutulate (diamond-shaped), and in some architectural scripts, such as Eaglefeather and Tekton, the serifs are virtually round.” Bringhurst (2004, p.312, p.330)
Fig 5. Serif and Sans Serif Typefaces.
Serif and Terminal Quiz (Dan Smith 1945)
Font Classifications ( RUFFA 2008)
References
RUFFA, G., 2008. The art of wood type. Plainfield, NJ: GRA Pub
SMITH, D., 2017. Excerpt from Arts ABC Volume 1: Square-Serif [viewed May 19, 2021]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNCndFgMPce/
BRINGHURST, R., 2004. The elements of typographic style.
LUPTON, E., 2010. Thinking with type. 2., rev. and expanded Ed. ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Pr
Each year the font foundry Monotype produce a lecture and report that documents the emerging trends in type design that year. Monotype describes it as “our attempt to recognize remarkable typography from the last year, but it’s also an exercise in fortune-telling or, at least, foretelling.”(2021). The designs that I want to produce for this project needs to be relevant and contemporary so I attended the lecture to help guide the aesthetic of the project.
Monotype identified 11 trends:
Block- heads. More soft-serve, please The force / R–Wars The idea, big Hand was here Lateral moves Touchable type Variable speed Virtual is reality Measured austerity Cultivating contrast.
Of the 11 I found the following the most relevant to my initial ideas for the Odd foundry brand and the type I will produce. It is especially heartening to see some of my initial branding for the project stylistically fitting into “The idea, big” as this shows I’m on the right track.
When a written message is read by a viewer they deconstruct the various components and structure of it in order to decipher the intended meaning of the author. In his book on the subject of semiotics, This Means This, This Means That, author Sean Hall outlines that at its most basic this structure is made up of both syntax and semantics(2007). “The syntax of language tells us when a sentence has been constructed in a fashion that is grammatically correct and when it has been constructed in a way that isn’t. Semantics, on the other hand, is about what the sentences we construct by using various grammatical rules actually mean.”(p.93). However when a written message is included in a graphic composition it communicates not just via the content provided (ie. what is written) but also via how it is written (ie. what is the chosen typeface, what colours are used, where is it placed within the composition?). As author Meg Miller states “for typographers, letterforms are also tools, giving form to words, which can then be used to convey meaning, to signify, indicate, express, and conjure up ideas.” (2021). These additional factors can heavily influence our understanding of the meaning being communicated. Within the study of language this would be considered the connotation and denotation of a message (Hall p.118).
In her book Why Fonts Matter author and designer Sarah Hyndman (2016) posits that a designers choice of typeface can help imbue a piece of work with meaning and help the readers in many ways. One of which is helping us choose between different options. In the example below “typefaces help you to decide who you would trust to do a professional job for you. For example, which of these three lawyers would you hire?” (p.18)
Font choice (Sarah Hyndman 2016)
It is evident that certain typefaces and type classifications bring with themselves additional cultural meaning and denote different things. “Many professions have recognisable typeface conventions, especially established industries where the preference is likely to be for traditional, conservative and relatively neutral typefaces that suggest history. Often these have links to Roman inscriptions, engravings or ancient manuscripts that give the impression of longevity and wisdom.”(p.57). I would argue that an understanding of the original meaning behind these conventions (in this case Roman inscriptions) is less important for the reader in denoting further meaning from a piece than a cultural awareness of other contemporary relevant uses of the designs, in this example the understanding that lawyers make use of serif fonts similar to that used in the above example.
Professor of Art, Edmund Feldman, devised a 4 step method for analysing art work that I believe can also be applied to the reading and understanding of a typeface.
As quoted from the Galveston ISD article about the subject (2021), the 4 steps are:
“DESCRIPTION What can be seen in the artwork?
ANALYSIS What relationships exist with what is seen?
INTERPRETATION What is the content or meaning, based on steps 1 and 2?
JUDGEMENT What is your evaluation of the work, based on steps1, 2, 3?”
I feel the Feldman technique is helpful for slowing down and reinforcing each stage of the reading of a piece of work, with the 4 steps being split between connotation (description and analysis) and denotation (interpretation and judgement).
Alzheimer Nederland Poster (Studio Dumbar 2021)
Alzheimer Nederland Promotional Pack (Studio Dumbar 2021)
The branding by Studio Dumbar for Alzheimer Nederland (2021) makes use of a custom designed typeface to reinforce the meaning and work of the organisation. The typeface is of a sans serif geometric style, the stroke widths remain consistent throughout each letter but the central space of each letter is removed (description). The position and amount of space removed from the letter changes depending on the letter so that the overall form of the letter can still be perceived. The use of the typeface across a whole word allows the user to read the content easier as our brain uses the context of the word to mentally fill in any letters that are hard to discern (analysis). The process that the reader goes through in trying to understand what is written in the typeface is similar to that of a person having Alzheimer’s themselves and the degradation of the letterforms reflects the degenerative nature of the disease (interpretation). Based on this analysis I feel this typeface successfully communicates the intended meaning of the design, while also being a striking and recognisable design element (judgement).
The modular typeface, Baker (2021), was designed by Fontself to commemorate the death of Gilbert Baker, LBGTQ+ activist and the creator of the iconic Rainbow Flag. Fontself have taken their design cues from the stripes of the flag and created a series of interlinked components that flow and create each letter form. These components are all unified in their use of angles and widths, creating a diverse selection of shapes that are all recognisable as one unified whole. This reflects the inclusive and diverse nature that the Rainbow flag represents.
On the theme of community and diversity, the Diversity Type project from Distillery (2021) creates unity out of disparate letterforms by unifying them with colour, size and position on the page to ensure that the content is read a word rather than a series of letters.
Diversity Type Project (Distillery 2021)
In general, legibility is key to the communication of meaning. Without being able to discern the letterforms of a word then meaning can be lost. However, designer Sam Barclay flips our perceptions of legibility in his book I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic (2014). The book, made of various essays around the subject utilisise layout, colour and typefaces to communicate to the reader the many difficulties that a dyslexic person may encounter. The image here is of a double page spread set in the Can You Read Me font, a font made by Phil Baines (1995) to test our perception of each letter.
I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic spread. (Barclay 2014)
References
FONTSELF, 2021. Type With Pride [viewed Feb 12, 2021]. Available from: https://www.typewithpride.com
With lockdown lifting I have been able to get access to the print room to finally see how my test blocks print. First impressions are very promising, the surface takes ink very well and transfers the design to the paper without slurring or marring the design. When printed next to conventional type made of wood and metal they are the correct height and the quality of the printed design is comparable if not impossible to identify as being a different material. After a day of printing they appear to be in much the same state as when I started with no sign of compression . They also clean easily with Lincoln wash and white spirit without the printing surface being affected (some materials fog and become textured when exposed to a solvent).
Initial blocks – Angle and flat printed blocks.
The flat printed blocks produced a successful print with an even distribution of ink. The angle printed blocks however appeared to show signs of compression with the printing surface being slightly lower than the other flat printed blocks. When locked up against other blocks it also becomes evident that they are also not square, seeminly having shifted slightly during the 3d priting process. Finally the actually print surface, due to being made up of many layers of resin rather than one flat layer as on the flat printed blocks retains ink when cleaned and prints with a slightly textured finish. Overall the flat printed method appears to produce the most consistent results.
Registration circles
After printing a few different variations of the 3 circles, which have been designed to test registration, there is a noticeable misalignment between layers. Close observation of the blocks when printing indicates that due to the slightly flared bases of the blocks, the elephants foot effect as mentioned previously, when pushed next to each other the blocks do not sit flat on the bed of the proofing press. Instead they tilt side to side. I will need to work out a way to negate or minimise this flaring in order to create blocks that will produce accurate prints.
This week I have been exploring the use of resin 3d printers to be able to generate printable blocks from home without the need for other tools like laser cutters/routers etc. The results so far have been promising – producing blocks that are sturdy enough to print with regularly at a detail that allows very fine design work to take place. Most interestingly, I feel, is the ability to free the shape of the design from the constraints of it being a conventional rectangular block, as would be the case with most traditional cast or routed methods of creating a printable block. In these designs you can see me experimenting with a range of simple modular forms. The blocks are printed to be type height and are divisions of an inch so can be combined with lead and metal type easily.
These original blocks were based on the elementary shapes as defined by the Bauhaus school, the square, circle and triangle.
The type height EL BlocksAlong with the type height blocks I also printed a selection of blank spacing blocks to help with locking up.
To counter the elephants foot effect I shaved off the lowest 1 mm of each block.
The current idea for Glint club originates from the exploration of the Glint border and ornament. Writing on the glint club blog in 2015 the authour explains “In April 1956 David Bethel submitted his design for the Glint border & corner to Monotype, the designs becoming B1309/10 in August of the same year. Beatrice Warde was at this time working as the corporation’s publicity manager & developed a self-confessed ‘mania’ for ‘working out combinations’ of Bethel’s new border. Warde went on to invent the Glint Game, encouraging others to ‘experiment & invent’ new Glint combinations, she claimed to have discovered 75 such combinations in collaboration with her personal assistant Sarah Clutton.”
I find the idea of exploring two simple components in all their different permutations compelling. The restrictions of the rules creates a space for intensive exploration, discovering new possibilities for alignment and pattern creation.
Christmas Card using the Glint Ornaments (Glint Club 2015)
Glink
After analysing the forms of the glint ornaments I composed 2 of my own variations and tried to print them alongside some other blocks that were experiments in the creation of halftone blocks. The halftones didn’t work but the glink did.
The forms of glink blocks were also informed by the metal swash ornaments in my own collection. Due to their L shape they can be organised and printed in many different orientations.
In my previous research for my proposal I identified the modular typefaces P22 Blox (based on Alphablox), Super Tipo Veloz and Extraset’s Klarheit Kurrent. With my typeface possibly existing both as a digital design and a physical design I felt some further research into other expressions of modularity within different mediums relating to type could be helpful.
The branding for the Vietnam Festival of Media & Design: Hanoi 2019 by Behalf Studio (2021) is a graphic system that makes use of modular elements inspired by the architecture and patterns found in Hanoi itself. These shapes have the hints of letters in their forms, when viewed alone they are compelling enough to be viewed as a shape whilst when combined with other shapes into words they can be read like a conventional sentence.
Vietnam Festival of Media & Design: Hanoi 2019 (Behalf Studio 2021)
Line Up (OLGA, R.D 2020)
In the Line Up book created by Raffaella Della Olga, each right side of a spread is a letter in the alphabet, running sequentially from a-z. The letters themselves are made out of lines aligned with a rigged adherence to a grid, resulting in some very abstract forms. The typeface used is called “Alphabet”, created by Timothy Epps and the experimental psychologist Christopher Evans in England in the late 60’s. As Olga writes in the description of their work “Alphabet” was the result of a challenge for them to find a system that would enable early computers to recognise fonts. Working within a five x five grid, Alphabet was designed entirely from vertical and horizontal lines.”. The first time I watch the video of the book pages being turned I didn’t recognise the shapes as letters, it was only once I had seen up to the letter F that I recognised it as a letterform. Once I had that understanding that I was looking at letterforms I was able to perceive the previous shapes as letterforms. The repetition, unified structure (all designs are made using the same weight of lines and grid) as well as the context of this alphabet being presented as a book aided me in perceiving disparate forms as an alphabet.
10×14 Matrix Alphabet (Information Graphics:A Survey of Typographic, Diagrammatic and Cartographic Communication book 1989 )
Handjet (Rosetta Type Foundry 2021)
Early digital design required physical typefaces and letterforms to be converted to be viewed on low resolution digital screens. This resulted in forms such as these seen in the Information Graphics:A Survey of Typographic, Diagrammatic and Cartographic Communication book (1989) which brings together many letterforms created during this period. This typeface in particular was the outcome of a set of experiments “designed to demonstrate the flexibility of the 14×10 system while conforming to the restrictions of a matrix format. It shows the considerably improved legibility, character spacing and consistency of letter form achievable within this enlarged format.”, by conforming to a grid they are able to enlarge and reduce each letter proportionally whilst keeping the letterform distinct.
A contemporary exploration of this same grid based technique can be seen in the work of Rosetta Type Foundry, where designer David Březina’s Handjet (2021) variable typeface uses the same grid for each font in the typeface but varies the shape of the forms that follow the stroke of the letter. This creates fluid, moving forms that still remain legible as a letterform, even whilst in flux.
When most people think of modularity they think of Lego toys. Lego bricks adhere to a strict set of rules that govern the size, alignment and connection points of any component in their system. This can result in some unexpected shapes and angles being produced, it is shapes like this that allow the flexibility of the system to create distinct and varied forms, rather than everything being built off a 2×4 grid.
Vintage wooden borders and ornaments (AUB 2021)
Creating 2.5-line “star bars” (Hamilton Wood Type 2021)
In my discussion with Ryan Molly we spoke about traditionally produced blocks and about the limitations of the tools they used in being able to produce non-rectangular forms. Though variations of shape and alignment options do exist within antique blocks they are rare to find. This is due in part to the fact that their production was a much more involved process. With there being different angles needing to be cut, machines had to be reset and more care needed to be taken to ensure they lined up correctly. These samples from the archives at AUB show a selection of patterned borders that intersect at 45degrees as well as L shaped patterns that allow you more flexibility in the creation of shapes.
While most conventional woodtype was produced with a pantograph (a router that follows a pattern to create a form), borders were stamped on a separate machine. This video shows the process of taking prepared blank wood blocks and running them through the stamping machine by hand, using the settings on the machine to align various brass ornaments. The patterns are built up one shape at a time, a long process that was again reflected in their higher cost.
In her book Teaching Design, author Meridith Davis comments that todays “design fields began as trades, rather than professions” with many of the practical skills being acquired through making (2017). The rules of graphic design are not enshrined or enforced by any governing body, in the same way that a profession such as medicine may be. This view of the practical being intrinsic to the teaching and learning of design is reinforced by designer and educator Paul Shaw in Steven Hellers book, The Education of a Typographer, when he states “I put practice first, not only because it is what students…desire the most, but also because I believe history and theory must play supportive roles. I use history to place current typographic practice in a continuum that extends back to the invention of the codex. Finally, theory is introduced as a means of better understanding the practices of the past and their continued relevance today.” (p.12 2004). Shaw believes the best approach is “to intertwine practice, history, and theory-in that order.” The idea of making is intrinsically linked to the idea of craft, of creating something by hand with skill. Christopher Frayling in his book On Craftsmanship (2011) when discussing the term craft and it’s importance he states “to educationalists…the word is associated with learning by doing-experiential learning – rather than learning from books or from screens”(p.12). Within my own experience, as a student and then an educator, the ability to physically manipulate and interact with an object relevant to the subject has always enabled me to deconstruct and understand the concepts relating to it in a deeper manner. Though I had read about baselines and line height when I was a student, it was only once I started experimenting with letterpress blocks that I understood how the space a letter takes up on one side of the page can affect the layout of the type on the other page.
Influential design teacher Inge Druckrey believes that in order for a student to learn design they must first learn to see. In the 2014 documentary about her by Edward Tufte she states “Training the eye is very very important. You can’t come up with ideas if you don’t see first.” In order to create designs of aesthetic value they must be taught to observe current forms and to analyse the forms they create in their own work. Central to Druckery’s form of teaching are manual exercises that involve giving students some kind of restriction, whether it is on font, layout or image. One example is she “gave students a 9-square grid, which as ordering principle allowed them to come up with a coherent composition.The actual design elements were up to them.” She believes that key to this style of learning are the restrictions, “The limiting is important so that students have a very clear playground set up and it helps them to focus.”. I feel this is especially relevant in current Graphic Design teaching environments where when asked to complete a design task digitally a student can often be faced with a paralysis of choice with a seemingly infinite choice of typefaces and formats available. By placing a restriction on the exercise it is easier to guide a student towards the intended learning outcomes.
Galt Toys (GARLAND, K., 2020)
This style of learning through play and learning through doing can even be seen in the toys designed by Ken Garland and Associates for the toy brand, Galt. The version shown here uses a set of printed cards with strokes in different shapes and terminations that can be combined in various different ways.
Galt Toys (GARLAND, K., 2020)
I became aware of Kolb’s cycle when working on the Associate Fellow of the HEA award when I began teaching. The cycle is outlined on Kolbs website (2021) as a four stage cycle:
“1. Concrete Experience – a new experience or situation is encountered, or a reinterpretation of existing experience. 2. Reflective Observation of the New Experience – of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding. 3. Abstract Conceptualization reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an existing abstract concept (the person has learned from their experience). 4. Active Experimentation – the learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens.”.
Kolb believes that an effective learning experience sees an individual progress through the cycle in order. This order can be broken down into experience > reflection > conceptualisation > testing > repeat, the cycle is repeated throughout a learning experience to enable a growth in knowledge. In an article about the subject, author McLeod states that learning is an “integrated process with each stage being mutually supportive of and feeding into the next. It is possible to enter the cycle at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence. However, effective learning only occurs when a learner can execute all four stages of the model. Therefore, no one stage of the cycle is effective as a learning procedure on its own.”
I believe this syncs well with Druckery’s concepts of seeing. That in order for a student to progress in their learning and accumulation of skill they must observe and create as part of the concrete experience phase before progressing to analyse (Reflective Observation of the New Experience), refine (Abstract Conceptualization reflection) and repeat (Active Experimentation ).
Paired with Kolbs learning cycle is the setting out of four distinct learning styles. These styles are based on the the stages of the learning cycle and they are used to help understand that different people prefer different learning styles. McLeod explains these styles as the “product of two pairs of variables, or two separate ‘choices’ that we make, which Kolb presented as lines of an axis, each with ‘conflicting’ modes at either end. Kolb believed that we cannot perform both variables on a single axis at the same time (e.g., think and feel). Our learning style is a product of these two choice decisions.”
Kolb’s Learning Styles (Mcleod 2017)
When reflecting on my own project and how it could be used to teach, I must consider contemporary teaching environments. Many of Inges methods rely on the use of physical spaces and mediums. At the moment with so much of our teaching being online due to the pandemic how could the tools I create be used as part of online or hybrid teaching? The way we learn online and interact with digital resources is very different to that of learning on a physical campus. Professor Gilly Salmon outlined a framework for online learning called the “The Five Stage Model”, though it was originally written while working for the Open University and published as part of her book E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning (2013) it has since been updated and built upon to be inclusive of many different learning environments as detailed on her website (2021). The stages are as follows:
“1. Access and Motivation 2. Online Socialisation 3. Information Exchange 4. Knowledge Construction 5. Development”
The first stage of the model, “Access and Motivation”, is an important stage to consider for my project. This stage is about introducing the learner to the environment, giving them access to the logins and tools needed and demonstrating early on how they can progress through the different stages. If I wish to teach students about typography and letterforms how can I give them access to the tools I wish them to use? If I built some kind of online tool I could make use of social media, encouraging users to create something and share it online. This would allow them to progress through the Online Socialisation and Information Exchange stages. Knowledge Construction and Development could be cover by weaving some theory into the tool to allow the user to evaluate the work they have created against other examples.
References
DAVIS, M., 2017. Teaching Design: A Guide to Curriculum and Pedagogy for College Design Faculty and Teachers Who Use Design in Their Classrooms. Allworth
While printing a set of blocks for printing I ran into an unexpected problem. The printing of a set of blocks takes around 1.5hours, during which time I was teaching and did not realise the resin in the printing vat had begun to run out. The result was a failed print as with no resin left in the vat the resulting blocks were below type height and the printing surface was imperfect. However on inspection, where the resin had ran out at different rates across the different blocks the resulting surface was covered in various random shapes of different thicknesses. Raising low or damaged wooden blocks up to type height is fairly common in letterpress printing and is achieved by placing sheets of paper below the block until it creates an impression when printed. With some work raising each block individually I was able to create a collection of blocks that print a well defined and one of a kind design.
The print the blocks create evoke a similar aesthetic as ordinance survey maps, with elevation lines showing the height of points of interest. Inspired by the exploratory nature of the project as well as the visual similarities to maps I created a series of abstract prints around the theme of wayfinding.
While not directly related to the core themes of my project I found it a useful detour as I continued to explore the possibilities that surround the 3d printing process. It is interesting to think of the possibilities of manipulating this process during printing to achieve different designs so that the printing of the block becomes a transformative process that imbues the pieces with a trace of it’s means of creation, rather than it being a direct physical copy of the digital file.
While discussing these pieces with Katherine Anteney she mentioned it was reminiscent of a physical process used in the creation of chaos blocks, lead blocks with random patterns on the surface that were used in the letterpress printing process to create prints that could not be duplicated by another printer. Molten lead was dripped into a mould and allowed to cool slightly before being fully filled. So my chaos blocks have been created in a similar way, but in reverse. The technique has been researched and explained on the St Brides Foundation blog as “a method of producing and printing complex ‘organic’ images from the raw material of letterpress itself – molten type metal. John Franklin Earhart was the inventor of this process used for a short period in the late 19th century which relied upon the unpredictable and random qualities of chaos.”(2020)
