Revisiting Binary Press – Interview

Ashling describes the meaning of Binary Press, its potential impact at Stanford University, and the opportunities that the ASSU arts grant gave her.

| RECORDED October 2008 . at OXFORD |

10.07.08 | Built, Displayed and Stored

It’s hard to believe that the B I N A R Y P R E S S creation process is over. It took three months, a few helping hands, and lots of detangling to complete, but I’m left now with ten mobiles, that I hope can be displayed around Stanford campus, or in the future offices of LOTUS&ASH.

STAGE ONE : LOS ANGELES

With the help of my father, I found the aluminum and stainless steel rods that I combined with fishing wire to hang the pieces of the press. Finding enough rods for ten mobiles turned into a wild goose chase from Olympic to Culver City to West Hollywood.

From there, I built my first model, displayed above. Suspended from a patio umbrella, it took a few versions of the first mobile to find the right order, balance, and tiering. The final version had three tiers, with the words “WHAT CAN BE LOST?” appearing on the first and second tier, and the answers ” CONTACT . IDENTITY . CHARACTER . SENSE . YOU” continuing on the second tier down to the third.

It took a lot of patience to attach the pieces of paper to the fishing wire, string them from the rods, and balance them. Since I didn’t want all the mobiles to get tangled on their trip back up to Stanford, I transported them in pieces and assembled them in Theta Delt.

STAGE TWO : THETA DELT ASSEMBLY LINE

After assembling all ten mobiles, they were hung and balanced in a Theta Delt closet, and stored around the hallways, until they were wrapped up for two weeks before the show. It was a foreign site for the fraternity, which was partly covered in B I N A R Y P R E S S  materials.

STAGE THREE : THE CANTOR

Since I am abroad studying at Oxford, I didn’t get the chance to set up my mobiles in the Cantor Courtyard or even see the other artworks by my fellow Arts Grantees. But a big thanks goes out to Daniel Schultz and Dane Saksa for setting up my project last Thursday. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see my project all the way through, but I truly think that this is only the beginning of B I N A R Y P R E S S.

I think the project can go further, and I’m already dreaming up ways to take it there. There are endless ways that the mobiles could be displayed, so many locations where they may be appropriate. It would be fantastic if they could hold some significance in my life, or someone else’s for years to come.

Thank you to everyone who helped with B I N A R Y P R E S S’s journey. To my Mom and Dad for listening to me flush out the crazy idea I had, and my dad especially for his help in the engineering of the mobiles. To Bria and Melanie for handling all the logistical aspects of my project. To my friends, who attended the show, and made me feel like a part of me was there. To all those who responded to my earlier questions of what the mobiles should say. To John and Lars at logosgraphics for teaching me how to handle the Windmill Letterpress and helping me to create the beautiful pieces of paper. And thanks to Daniel, who first put the idea of floating zeros and ones in my head, for entertaining my paper obsession, for testing his own patience when helping me build and balance the mobiles, and for carrying out my vision at Party on the Edge.

08.18.2008 | PRESS HEAVEN.

This was the most exciting weekend yet in the development of Binary Press … for the first time, I got to use a Letterpress – I learned how to set type, I handled my Polymer Plates, and I saw what kind of impression they would make on the 220 lb Letra Bright White Paper. I saw how the Rubber ink would fill each indentation of the 1s and 0s, and how black black could be.

It was absolutely glorious.

PHOTO POLYMER PLATE . logos graphics

Friday afternoon was spent at Logos Graphics with Lars and John Sullivan. Using a Windmill press for the first time, I was amazed by how the machine actually worked. Arms and knobs controlled the impression of the plate, while Ink rollers spun, re-inking each other and  the plates. A thin, spindly grabbing arm, took each piece of paper, and SWOOSH placed it to be pressed against the plate, and SWOOSH, brought it to the other side of the machine to dry.

It was mesmerizing. After the perfect impression, and ink density was found it was time to print my plates.It was so cool, so so so cool to see it all come together

WINDMILL LETTERPRESS

.

the photo polymer plate inside the windmill.

impression left by the plate on the 220 lb letra paper.

The entirety of Saturday was spent at the San Francisco Center for the book, getting instruction from letterpress extraordinaire Mary Laird. Instead of using polymer plates, however, I learned the technique of setting type — individual letters, dingbats, and images carved into wood or cast in metal, and placed, spaced, and set in between two pieces of lead. Every font, every size font, and every size spacing had an appropriate place in the press, and if it wasn’t in it’s spot, the printing process was likely to go wrong.

Drawer of Woodtype at the SF Center for the Book.

Drawer of STYMIE 18 PT Metal Type at the SFCB.

We worked on a Vandercook press, which had a flat bed where we placed each of our designs, as opposed to the Windmill Press in which we placed the polymer plate vertically. It was fantastic to see the difference between printing with a polymer plate, and actual metal type.

SFCB’S VANDERCOOK PRESS

While the plate affords  ten times the creative freedom, printing with type really does make one appreciate the art of typography, the hours that book printers take to produce limited editions on the letterpress, and just how much digital media has made the printing process easier and more accessible.

I thought about it – and it took me nine hours to print something on a letterpress, that would have taken me one hour to design and print using Illustrator and my printer, without having to travel 40 minutes both ways to do it. But that’s what makes letterpress printing so special. Indeed, all five senses are utilized in the printing studio. When using my computer and my printer, I use maybe two, at the most.

And now that my project is printed, it’s on to creating the mobiles from which my floating pieces of 0s and 1s will hang. Drawing inspiration from Alexander Calder, the said-inventor of the Mobile,  I’ve been dreaming up just how these pieces of paper will float in the Cantor Museum.

And in one month, I hope to have a full set of ten mobiles, ready to be hung in the Cantor, before I head off to Oxford in the Fall.

08.06.2008 | Plates Designed + Ordered!

After a two week long design process, I placed my order with Logosgraphics last week. We’re set to print next week!

I am so excited to learn the art of the letterpress, and to see these translated words create impressions on the 220 weight paper…to see the ink ease into the creases, and stand out, stark, against the paper’s white.

My instruction will continue on Saturday, August 16th at the Center for the Book, where I will further explore the beauty of the letterpress – and fully come to understand this traditional process.

I’ve begun sketches for the mobiles themselves, and right now, I believe I will use jewelry wire, which is delicate enough to shine if it catches the light, but will not overpower the floating 1s and 0s, to suspend the pieces of paper.

07.22.08 | Words Chosen, Design Begins

The indecision has finally come to an end, and the words for BINARY PRESS have been chosen.

BINARY PRESS poses the question, “What can be lost (between the digital and the analog)?”
The question will be translated into binary code and presented on five pieces of floating paper.

It’s true, though, that there is no definite answer to this question. But I have possible answers…
Translated into binary code as well, the average viewer of my project won’t be able to interpret these possible answers.

In a way, the question still remains unanswered.
And, if the question is in binary code as well – has it been posed?

Perhaps, instead of focusing on which is better, analog or digital, people can focus on the beauty of each, and their interaction with one another – and that, my friends, is the point of BINARY PRESS.

My possible answers are:

Contact
Identity
Character
Sense
You.

Thank you, everyone, for you responses. They helped immensely.

I’ve started the initial designs for the plates – and I’m REALLY excited about how they’re looking.

STAY TUNED FOR PREVIEWS

07.09.08 | What to say, What to say…

The good news: Binary Press is set to print within the next two weeks.
John and Lars at logosgraphics in San Francisco were incredibly hospitable when I went to check out their Windmill Press a few Fridays ago. Throughout my decision process, they have been so helpful in providing information about the best, most efficient and most economical way to print my project based on my grant.

The bad news : Already, I’ve encountered a bit of problem. No, it’s not whether or not to print on white paper or ecru, or what Pantone ink mix will be the perfect fit. (No doubt, those obstacles will surface and hopefully be overcome within the next two weeks.) I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to translate into binary code. What deserves to float on the pieces of 220 lb paper in the Cantor Arts Center?

{ What to say? What do you mean? See “ABOUT BP” }

a significant group of words or phrase will be chosen and translated into binary code. each binary code translation will be turned into a cohesive and interesting letterpress plate design using different fonts and font sizes. and, each design will be digitally made using Adobe Illustrator, manually exposed on film and made into a polymer plate.

I’m stumped.

But I have a few ideas

01
top 5 most used english words :
the / of / to / and / a

02
the question that my project proposes :
What can be lost?

03
a pangram :
“the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”

04
the meaning of the word that is an overall theme for my project :
CONTACT : The Mutual Relation of Two Bodies

05
a significant quote
my favorite peter sellars quote, which will be condensed if chosen :

“The only thing that holds a society together and keeps it alive is thenotion that “tradition” and “innovation” are not opposing ideas.
They represent the same idea. Artistic and cultural traditions constantly incorporate new material. People use the music of Mozart and Beethoven to establish a tradition that does not change, when in fact, in the lifetimes of these composers, they represented continuing changing response to a tradition. A tradition allows you a context in which to process new information.”

Help a girl out?
Cast your vote, or leave a comment about your favorite idea (01-05). I want to use the same phrase or group of words on all the mobiles, so choose your favorite idea!

07.01.08 | the beginning

Welcome to Binary Press – a blog devoted to the creation of a project that explores the intersection of the analog and the digital by using traditional printing techniques and high-tech language.  The blog represents one part of the digital half of the multimedia art project.

Binary Press is scheduled to showcase at the Cantor Arts Center on October 2nd, 2008.

: : : Check back for updates : : :

C O M I N G S O O N

I/ the letterpress process

2/ choosing the right words and/or phrase

3/ designing the polymer plate

4/ using the letterpress

5/ assembling the paper sculptures

6/ on the road to the debut

7/ the end of the road : where the analog meets the digital