14th Century Papermaking in the 21st Century
October 23 - 28, 2022
Radha Pandey · radhapandey.com
Workshop at a glance
Learn the Indo-Islamicate tradition of making paper by hand as practiced in the 14th century in India, adapted to techniques and processes afforded by the 21st Century.
Techniques
- Indo-Islamicate papermaking
- Basics of screen making
- Fiber preparation and dye and mordant preparation using natural materials
- Burnishing, sizing, and making lake pigments
Materials
- Hemp, abaca, cotton, marigold, logwood, and brazilwood
- Kitchen scraps that yield color
- Mordants and fixatives like alum, iron, soda ash and calcium hydroxide
Outcomes
- Knowledge of how to make paper in the Indo-Islamicate style
- Knowledge of how to prepare and use one’s own dye on paper and pulp
- How to set up a papermaking studio
- How to process plant material for papermaking
Artist Bio
Radha Pandey is a papermaker and letterpress printer and is co-owner of the Halden Bookworks studio in Halden, Norway. She lives between India and Norway and earned her MFA in book arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book. She practices European, East Asian, and Indo-Islamic papermaking techniques and teaches classes in India, Europe, and the U.S. She has lectured and taught workshops at Princeton University, Harvard Art Museums, at Leksands Folkhögskola in Sweden, and at the Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades in Spain. Her artists books are held in over 80 collections internationally, including the Library of Congress and Yale University.
Arrowmont Connections
Workshop Description
In this workshop students will discover the materials, tools, and knowledge that were used to make Indo-Islamicate papermaking that has remained largely unchanged since the 14th century CE in India which is essentially the link between the East Asian and European papermaking traditions. You will learn about how these techniques evolved over time, and how they can be further adapted to our present-day technologies. Participants will understand how traditional fibers like hemp were prepared for papermaking, and how equipment was made using readily available materials. Students will focus on sheet formation and preparation of materials and dyeing of paper in its pulp and finished forms. Finished papers will be dyed further, sized, and burnished by hand to a high shine. You will leave class with a stack of beautifully dyed pliable sheets of handmade paper and the knowledge to make more. No prior papermaking experience is necessary. Open to all skill levels.
COURSE FEE: $690
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