Under pressure: An exhibition of printmaking by staff at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Klein, Susanne; Buxton, Arthur; Menger, Frank

Abstract

According to The New Oxford Shorter English Dictionary print is ‘an
impressed mark or image’. Print cannot exist without pressure. Letter
press, the cradle of modern printing, even has the word press, pressure
in it. Whether it is an ink jet droplet hitting a substrate, a
sublimation print attached to a t-shirt, an etching transferred to paper
or ink squeezed through a screen, pressure is always the main force
which brings the image into contact with its fi nal destination (how it
then sticks is a completely different topic and hotly debated). But those
are not the only pressures we, as printmakers, are exposed to. When
we stand at the printing press, it is our relief from the pressures in our
lives, from: instructing students, lecturing, hitting deadlines, marking,
looking after children, looking after parents, attending conferences,
juggling several jobs and managing life in general. The rhythm of the
printing process gives us the space and structure to practice the zen of
creativity, to push ourselves and the tools we have to the limits of what is
possible. Whether it is with the perfection of traditional techniques or
with the creation of new ones, we wish to impress with the beauty of the
result and leave an impression on the audience. In doing so we expose
ourselves to the pressure of reproducing the same high quality again and
again. Printing is a harsh master we have to show respect for and apply
perseverance in.
The exhibition gives an insight into modern print making at the
University of the West of England and a glimpse of who we are. We
hope you will enjoy the exhibition. We had fun putting it together.

• Exhibition Performance Type: Exhibition
• Start Date: Mar 26, 2020
• End Date: Apr 21, 2020
• Deposit Date: Mar 13, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 16, 2020
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5670362
• Additional Information: Centre for Fine Print Research