Join us on Sunday 15th June at 2pm-4pm in the Edinburgh Printmakers Learning Studio and try your hand at creating a unique paper puzzle, hidden message zine or sculptural print.
This workshop, led by artist printmaker Scott Baxter, will incorporate a variety of communication histories to create narrative paper sculptures. Participants will create works that incorporate sculptural forms, images, text, and narrative.
Throughout history, people have sought to safely communicate personal, political, or secret information hidden from prying eyes. Some methods used folded paper to conceal the message in case it fell into the wrong hands. This form of basic cryptography also found its way into the form of whimsical note making passed between school pupils.
In addition, since the 1960s, artists, activists (suffragettes, socialist workers), and minority groups (people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community), have utilised simple inexpensive folded paper magazines (zines), pamphlets, booklets, and handouts to publicise information about their views and interests. These publications, often handmade, employed collage, varied fonts, found images, drawings, text, poetry, and manifestos to create an art form that is still widely used by artists today to create affordable limited artworks.
The first part of the workshop will explore the making of several forms of folded small paper sculptures. Participants will be guided through a number of sculptural designs and given the opportunity to make their own versions.
The second part of the workshop will focus on participants adding imagery and text to the sculptures. Through this, we'll be considering how these are applied as a cohesive part of the sculptural work. The finished sculptures can be folded and unfolded to reveal messages.
At the end of the workshop participants will be able to take home their own sculptures and also will be provided with worksheets to make more in their own time.
All materials will be supplied; however, participants are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks/notebooks with ideas to incorporate into the works.
Found images, materials, favourite art methods, magazines and other supplies can also be useful to bring, but not essential. We will offer plenty of materials to be inspired by, and to learn more about the histories of self-publishing.
This event is part of our heritage project Castle Mills: Then & Now supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by money raised by National Lottery players.
