Just a Sci-Fi Kid Like Me

Last week I was at Wells College for their Summer Book Arts Institute, this time taking a course on punchcutting. A punch is the first stage in making a matrix, or mold, that can then be used to make type. In theory, I could design a whole new typeface, take the matrices to a typefounder, and then have a set of types all my own. (And the ambitious part of my brain thinks ~how cool~ would it be to have a set of types in Sindarin and Quenyan?!) And it's difficult to write about the process of creating an object from raw steel on Monday and then printing with it on Friday afternoon, but that's pretty much what happened. Also, out of seven students I was the only woman, which thankfully was managable; all the guys--which included Todd--were good guys, so that was a relief.

Here's some photos from Todd's Instagram, because I don't have pictures of my stuff, and anyway, it's kind of embarrassing in contrast.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIYk83PBJiF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIWCRnghC8q/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BITsEADhyQJ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BId5vWQBeHF/

I was feeling incredibly frustrated for the first two days because I was so behind everyone else--I finished a set of two punches, while everyone else had four or five--but on Thursday through happenstance I was seated at a different workstation, and...the files there were SO MUCH BETTER than the ones I'd been using. Which was just happenstance, but also speaks to how important it is to have the tools that are ~right for you~ which I don't think I quite understood until then.

I also got to do a small print project in the off-hours; having access to a full shop with a huge type and ornament library is lovely. Although Vandercooks still freak me out. I like platen presses, ok?

Made these at a workshop at Virgin Wood Type. I actually find making wood type more stressful than making metal type because with the machines you can't actually see what you are doing. >_< You have to focus on operating around a pattern and then pause carefully and look over to check yourself as best as you can--as you can tell with the heart, I failed a bit. But, I kind of like that ding--which actually doesn't show up badly on the carbon proof--because it goes to show that I really did make it, so. *G*

Anyway, today's the slow day, so I have a little bit of time to relax that is sorely needed. This afternoon I'm heading back to campus to check out a book arts vendor fair and, hopefully, get a shot at doing a pull on the Kelmscott Press, which was the same one used by William Morris in his shop and is held at the Cary Collection at RIT. Yes, I am rather pathetically stoked at being able to have a go on a specific famous press because hi, have you met me?

Relatedly, last night's talk was by the folks at Virago Press, who primarily specialize in translations of Polish poetry from 1976-1989. One of the founders, Gwido Zlatkes, put together a book reprinting various things including a printers' manual used during the period, and when I went to chat with him we ended up talking about fanzines as underground literature, because, yes, only I can go to a print history talk and end up talking about fandom. I'M NOT SORRY.

That's 2100 lbs of awesome. Also three cabinets of type in the background...

Working on my Maleficent paper, and.... is it just me, or do her wings in glass recall the good ol' diagram of women's reproductive organs?



I mean, sometimes the Sacred Feminine is just the Sacred Feminine, but...

This morning was the last day of workshop, and in an hour I'll catch the shuttle to the airport and thence home. Some last photographs:



We had book-decorated cupcakes as a final farewell.



We also made enclosures to take our projects home in safely. Hard to believe this little box carries everything I made this week, but it does!!!!!

Leaving is bittersweet because I'll be glad to be home again tonight, but I've really had so much fun here this week!!!!1

A quick post of more sneak peeks of my work for the studio show tomorrow--I was working until 10:45 there tonight trying to get things done!!!!





Funny story: I'd been texting Todd pictures of things as they came along and whatnot, and mentioned this to one of my instructors; I didn't think anything of it since I had written a nonfiction piece about working in BHW with him, Chris, etc. The instructor blinked and said, "You talked to the character from your story?" "....who is a real person," I explained. Basically, I am way entertained having a bestie who people apparently think is fictional.

...I am entirely too slaphappy. I should probably try to go to bed eventually.

Today was a bit more low-key than previous. I've finally gotten myself into a more or less focused mindset: projects in mine, strategies in place. I spent half the afternoon in the studio marbling sheets and making paste papers for projects to work on tomorrow. Unfortunately, after lunch I started feeling a bit dizzy (dehydrated, I think) and went back to the dorm to take a nap. It helped a little, but I still feel a bit out of it and not great. I did finish my homework though; I opted to skip out on the student readings tonight (I feel guilty, but there will be more nights, plus if I feel like crap and no one's going to miss me then why not).

Anyway, here are some of the marbled papers I made:



I painted them down with some varnish and hopefully will have some smooth, burnished sheets tomorrow.

This morning we also got to visit the Special Collections at Olin Library and look at their collection of artist's books. They also have an exhibit up of the first two volumes of the St. John's Bible (the Heritage fine press edition). The St. John's Bible is a massive seven volume work made by a team of artists to create a medieval volume in the new age--every page of the vellum edition is hand done script and hand done illuminations and art. The fine press edition is on paper but still has hand elements, as with the gold lead illuminations in the capitals, etc. This is the opening of Genesis, with the creation of the world in seven days:



This evening's writing prompt was for a fiction piece, which I spun into a mini-scene from the printerfic:

( On Games of Chance )

~

I was hoping to write some more tonight but I'm not sure I have it in me. It could just be that I'm too tired from the last few days and need some recouping time.

There are a hundred students in this round of workshops; there are four workshops of poetry, three of fiction, two of creative nonfiction, and then the lone "literary/book arts hybrid" class I'm taking. My class has 7 people in it, while the others have ~15 per. Consequently, over the last day and a half, I've explained what book arts are to about 40 people.

I'm tired.

BUT!

Here are some pictures of what we did just today:



This is a sheet of paper marbled using the Japanese suminagashi method, where you take a small paper circle, drop a few drops of dye on top, and then blow or move it around the water with a skewer; the dye only adheres to the surface of the water, and so you can place your paper directly on top. You don't have to treat the paper beforehand, or spend a few hours doing other set-up and prep as you must with Turkish marbling. Consequently, even though the dyes are less vivid, I am quite the fan!



We started off with two exercises. The first was "Twenty First Lines"--potential first lines to twenty works which we submitted before the workshop started. The instructors printed and bound these to create small prompt books. The "Word Dance" was an activity where we created cards using phrases from our writing samples which we shared and redistributed as a group, making poems with the new (randomized) material. Mine reads:

Excuse me
sound might grow a steady stream
if such was ever to be

maybe someone had someone
again and again
subject to the will

Shoes by the door nose each other like fish
tingling cheek
promise of London Devil
garb thin as a sapling.

[I'm only proud of the first six lines which sounds like an actual narrative to me. It's pretty clear I had no idea what to do with the other four.]



Another project we took on this morning was creating a commonplace book, bound accordion style and creating a collage on the cover. We were given envelopes of various interesting scraps, and this is what I put together. The ribbon ties in the back to hold the volume shut; it has an envelope glued in the back to hold various project materials. I don't typically care for accordion bindings, but I'm pleased with how this one came out at least visually.

~

I've written a story for tomorrow from a prompt; I'm happyish with the text but not the accompanying image, which I'm not going to share, because no, it looks juvenile. (OTOH maybe tomorrow I'll go to class and it will magically seem better, but I think not.) Here it is:

Necessity

( If you stay with me... )

~

Last night I wrote a poem, and it at least I an pleased with:

Texts
sent at midnight
and at 8am

read and responded

demonstrate only

that I am
the signifier
and you
the signified.

~

Tonight we listened to readings by each of the student fellows--effective "apprentices" to the instructors this term. Like the workshops, they were a mixture of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I suppose it was a classical "writing seminar moment": all of them white, at least approaching middle class if not actively upper class. One was a gay man. They all had, I guess you could say strong voices, but in that workshoppy way they were indistinguishable too, talking of permissible things like love and loss and extra-marital affairs. One older gentleman had a story from the pov of a recovering alcoholic struggling to connect with his son; the gay writer mentioned a bathhouse. This was the non-normative material. This morning my instructors had a brief spiel about "safe space" and to be aware and accepting of "raw" material, but I am rather underwhelmed? Does that sound awful? And you can count the POCs on one hand; I've spoken to half of them already through happenstance.

It has all made me feel rather anxious. But this may sound like I'm disappointed in the whole thing--I'm not, exactly, and I've never been surrounded by so many creative types before, so that's interesting. So, we'll see what happens. I have my personal conference with my instructors tomorrow, and we're going to discuss the chapter I sent them of my printerfic--the one with all of the triggery stuff. So. We'll see what they make of that.

So on my last day of work Todd gave me a present to remember Cushing by: a framed set of our original designs for the DTS banners. He sent some of the photos yesterday, but this is my favorite one:



~

Survived move to Colorado. More later when I'm less plfttt.