TRYCKT OUT
A study in traditional print
Moving to Sweden in 2002, I was struck by the absence of hand-printed show posters. Having lived in Nashville, TN, I had grown accustomed to seeing traditional letterpress show posters in everyday public spaces. I was always drawn to the product and the process both, for their physicality, the tangibility, and tactile nature. But where was it in Sweden? TRYCK OUT was a my response to this question.
Finding typeface I could use was difficult, so I ended up cutting over 600 pieces of my own in linoleum. For composition purposes, I detemined that three basic sizes would work best for the project. Each is a multiple of the other (small 1/4, medium 1/2, large 1/1).
Originally, I began wanting to make band posters with traditional type, but suddenly I had an altogether different vision for the project. I sketched pyramid on a napkin, mapping it out in 16 sections representing the construction of the pieces as a whole.
While all the panels connect to make the pyramidal shape, the composition of the piece was made on-the-spot and "stream of conscious", containing words, phrases, ideas, sacred texts, and other letter configurations panel by panel. Some of the phrases included were lyrics of songs from an old mix-tape playing in the studio at the time of composition.
Assembly
Installation of the piece at Röhsska Design Museét in Göteborg, Sweden
