Principles (Edward and Christopher) was commissioned by Edinburgh Printmakers in 2011 for ‘The Writing on Your Wall’, an exhibition looking at printmaking as a socially concerned, democratic media designed to disseminate radical ideas. 

Here Ewan has taken from Chistopher Hill’s seminal book The World Turned Upside Down where he quotes Quaker Edward Burrough’s speech of 1660, which he presented before the Reformation Parliament. Radical historians such as Marcus Rediker have continued to quote from Burrough’s speech, which surmises the spirit of revolutionary defiance, capable of transcending time itself. Printed using Woodblock Type (Broughton). 

Woodblock Type (Broughton) 

In April 2011 Ruth Ewan worked with young people from Broughton High School to design a font. The letters were originally drawn onto rubbers, one by each member of the class. The designs were then cut into maple woodblocks using a CNC router. 

ABOUT

Ruth Ewan (b. 1980 Aberdeen) studied at Edinburgh College of Art. She has held solo exhibitions of her work at the Collective Gallery and The Embassy, in Edinburgh, Studio Voltaire and the ICA in London, Arthur Boskamp Stifung, Hohenlockstedt, at the CAAC in Seville and at Dundee Contemporary Arts. She has also completed projects with Artangel, Camden Arts Centre and the Chisenhale Gallery in London and has also had her work exhibited within several major survey exhibitions. These include EAST International in Norwich (where she was awarded the EAST Prize), the inaugural Triennial at the New Museum in New York, 'Altermodern' at Tate Britain, Art Sheffield 2010 and the Folkestone Triennial. In 2012 she was included in the Glasgow International. She currently lives and works in Glasgow.