I don’t know much about DIY printing techniques, or any printing techniques for that matter. I have friends in the business, but oddly my curiosity has never really been sparked past a vague curiosity. That changed on Saturday afternoon. I knew what to expect of every other artist talk/video screening/dealer presentation that I had on the agenda for the 13th, but this was the odd one out. I had heard of BFP (just like Big Friendly Giant, right?) somewhere in the ether but had never really checked them out.
I don’t know, perhaps I had envisaged big, bald, butch guys wearing overalls, sweating and laughing over a printing press, their moustaches sharp and bristly and imposing. But this should have been nothing to be afraid of. After all, A A Bronson is a pretty sweet dude, and he is big, and he is gay, and he does lots of printing.
The approach of those at Big Fag Press is to view the completed product as a souvenir, a way of capturing someone’s ephemeral art practice. They describe the joys of working with each artist from the outset of the project right through to it’s completion, a relationship that is absent from a great deal of more industrial techniques. This removal of alienation between client and producer is imperative to what they do, and allows a great deal of flexibility and improvisation. And the effects are evident. Obstacles can become creative goldmines; for instance it is obviously cheaper to print using fewer colours, so a lot of the output take the form of striking monochrome posters. Importantly, the client’s presence can radically alter the end product. Unforeseen contingencies can be straightened out on the spot with all the parties present, and this creative environment can take projects to places the client would never have expected. A few minds are always better than one.
I don’t know, perhaps I had envisaged big, bald, butch guys wearing overalls, sweating and laughing over a printing press, their moustaches sharp and bristly and imposing. But this should have been nothing to be afraid of. After all, A A Bronson is a pretty sweet dude, and he is big, and he is gay, and he does lots of printing.
Maybe it was the oftentimes sickly sweet idea of the utopian DIY collective.
BFP really deserves more attention and congratulations. Their alignment with the Slow Food movement seems apt. The BFP encourage an empowering educational experience. The process may be slower than more industrial techniques, and the output of the machine may not be as
BFP really deserves more attention and congratulations. Their alignment with the Slow Food movement seems apt. The BFP encourage an empowering educational experience. The process may be slower than more industrial techniques, and the output of the machine may not be as
efficient or bountiful, it may even be more expensive, but there is a really appealing grassroots element to what they can do. And the results are outstanding.
The approach of those at Big Fag Press is to view the completed product as a souvenir, a way of capturing someone’s ephemeral art practice. They describe the joys of working with each artist from the outset of the project right through to it’s completion, a relationship that is absent from a great deal of more industrial techniques. This removal of alienation between client and producer is imperative to what they do, and allows a great deal of flexibility and improvisation. And the effects are evident. Obstacles can become creative goldmines; for instance it is obviously cheaper to print using fewer colours, so a lot of the output take the form of striking monochrome posters. Importantly, the client’s presence can radically alter the end product. Unforeseen contingencies can be straightened out on the spot with all the parties present, and this creative environment can take projects to places the client would never have expected. A few minds are always better than one.
Saturday the 13th of March saw Lucas from Big Fag Press address a full house at CrossArts Projects in Kings Cross. BFP are part of a group show entitled ‘Hurry-Hurry: Radical Printmaking’ which shows work as diverse as posters for Good God: Small Club right through to election
posters for Jakarta, Indonesia. This sort of event cannot but leave one feeling inspired. Printmaking, ultimately does not cost a lot of money, and may not take that much time; yet the results can be quite stunning.
posters for Jakarta, Indonesia. This sort of event cannot but leave one feeling inspired. Printmaking, ultimately does not cost a lot of money, and may not take that much time; yet the results can be quite stunning.
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