On the Machinations of Maps and Making

I do think of myself as a maker. I am not, however, special in this regard; all living creatures “make” in some capacity or another.  As I was reminded when researching my papermaking sojourn, the wasp has been producing paper nests for millions of years. (Mann) Humbling as that is, my experiments with various recycled materials have given me a new appreciation for the vast inventory of human learning that is a single sheet of paper.  Along with this awareness comes new understanding of my culture’s arguably dysfunctional romance with the consumption of goods, how wide the chasm gapes between having and making, and how my chosen role as maker can work to bridge the gap. In support of this, I will primarily refer to Ann Thorpe’s Architecture and Design versus Consumerism,  and Dr. Steven Mann’s online video Introduction to Papermaking, unless otherwise noted.

The chasm I speak of is the gulf of time between Ts’ai Lun’s first run with his bamboo screen mold and deckle in 104 CE (Mann), and the more recent few Wednesdays ago when I used mine.  What I did was to simply follow (or not follow) advice posted by experts and novices alike, and to mimic motions played out in YouTube videos. Lun, by comparison, invented production-based papermaking some 2000 years ago, and his insights and technologies have remained largely unchanged to date. (Mann)

To my post-process eyeballs, the absurdity of thousands of years of experience being held in something as lowly and common as a gum wrapper has come into sharp focus. Also, the fact that my knowledge of cellulose as the primary component of paper has been virtually handed to me as a 21^st century human without any particular effort on my part, I must now consider the difference between what I know from actual experience, and what I assume to know.

In light of my newfound respect for paper, the amount of material I have thrown out with little regard for its making is personally dismaying. I no longer see paper as a passively inert problem cluttering up my garbage can and recycle bins.  Rather, I see it as a kind of activated enabler, a machine into and upon which I have recorded much of my collective experience, supposition and whimsy, and which I have taken completely for granted.

The online Oxford dictionary’s technical definition of a machine is “any device that transmits a force or directs its application”.   A subtle distinction would be to say that a machine is “any device that is used to transmit a force or to direct its application”.  Paper falls under this definition if you consider force as a “thing regarded as exerting power or influence”, especially when it comes in the form of a book. The Roman scholar Aldus made it his life’s work to distribute more evenly the power and influence controlled by what he called the “book buriers”. (Barolini 30-31)

 Too, if not somewhat obviously, a device is described as “a contrivance or an invention serving a particular purpose”. In this instance paper was contrived as a medium for data storage; not much different in intent from today’s personal computers and iPhones. Granted, I don’t think the average consumer would so casually toss one of today’s must-have devices into the garbage or recycle bin like we do paper, and yet…

Our “dysfunctional romance” with the idea that goods serve as a valuation of personal worth is not unlike our relatively modern approach to “playing the field”, or dating, as a form of recreation. Visible consumption of goods functions as a sign to others of our acceptance of the values of the larger society and our intent to belong to it; dating the most popular guy at school makes one popular by association, and therefore one “belongs” and is also considered desirable, and so on.  “[N]ovelty (stimulation-as-reward) and anxiety (social striving for position or belonging through goods) are two key factors that drive consumerism”. (Thorpe 63) By this logic, if people were iPhones, I would have already dumped versions 1.0 through 4.0 and would be currently enamored with version 5.0; that is until 6.0 comes along. In this regard, we are quite fickle as to how we go about satiating our needs.

I have been aware of the concept of “peer pressure” since my first sex education class in high school. From the educator’s point of view an informed teenager makes better decisions regarding his or her sexual health and is more likely to avoid such pit falls as unwanted pregnancy and disease. This infers that an individual will act in their own best interests, as opposed to following the crowd. Thorpe cites recent studies of social networks that contradict this belief in the consumer. The researchers state that “subconsciously or otherwise, we end up aping what our friends do and this mimicry is in turn passed on to others in the chain, influencing people several degrees of separation removed from ourselves” and go on to describe this as a “contagion of behaviours” noting “undesirable behaviours… can be just as contagious as desirable behaviours” (Thorpe 59) 

 Conversely, we seem to be quite logical and rational in our desire to be perceived as socially valuable; Thorpe discusses economist Peter Victor’s take on the tendency to associate goods and notions of progress:

Over time, society’s focus moved more closely towards economic progress based on market transactions. Not only are market transactions easily quantifiable, but also economists argued that markets are the most efficient way of distributing resources. Markets enable us to convert the “value” or “utility” of a product or service into a monetary price, then money offers a convenient, universal way for people to express their preferences, needs and wants – through consumer purchases (Thorpe 39)

I find it intriguing that we choose to validate our selves via the purchase of cheap commodities, and find it equally frustrating that we resist making significant change in favour of economic efficiencies; we seem to repeatedly privilege the external over the internal. As Thorpe clearly states “the current societal narrative, hung up on individualization – the individuals unwillingness to change or sacrifice – traps us in a no-win situation”. (67)  She does however point to the  “possibility of collective citizen action across large scale movements” as a possible antidote,  and that the forces of “individualization, commoditization and the increasing pace of immediate rewards” can instead “be read as a map of where to target collective action, a map for agency”. (68)

I take her words, and my newly realized role as a map maker of agency, to heart.

Works Cited

Barolini, Helen. Aldus and his Dream Book. New York: Italica. 1992. Print. (Excerpt: 30-31.)

Handout. Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Vancouver, BC. n.d.

Mann, Steven. Introduction to Papermaking – History of Papermaking. Video. July 14, 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioDEYljT2c4 June 15, 2014.

Thorpe, Ann. Architecture & Design versus Consumerism – How Design Activism Confronts 

Growth. Handout. Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Vancouver, BC. n.d.

“device.”oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries. Web. June 16, 2014

“force.”oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries. Web. June 16, 2014

“machine.”oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries. Web. June 16, 2014

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

Coalbrookdale by Night, 1801, Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg the Younger

...but it certainly wasn't rag paper time!

Boy oh boy, did I have a Dickens of a time trying to turn my old Esprits into paper. Sorry about that cheesy line, but I seriously utilized every kitchen appliance I own in an attempt to get the cotton fibres to "fluff up" as per numerous blogs and industry experts advised via YouTube.

Cooking them to bits.

I sport an impressive swelling on my ring finger that could serve as a 6th digit simply from the pre-processing processing of hacking two pants legs into 1/4" squares with kitchen scissors. I have already cooked them for six hours in a solution of baking soda and water that would "break down the fibres" and make them paper-able.  I then whipped them with my electric egg beaters. I whirred them with my Oster but the blender began this odd dance across the counter top so I stopped doing that. I employed a small sledge hammer (at the expense of a rather nice sheet of board) to pound the jean bits into submission. No dice; the only thing about to break down is me. Miserable, I am about to toss the whole darn thing out the door, when I spy the Braun juicer on the bottom shelf in the kitchen pantry. Dare to dream??

Soggy post-cooking glop. Hasn't broken down one bit. :(

Oy. I am now standing in front of the stove in a puddle of blue water that has dripped from my elbows for the last eight hours as I process, process, PROCESS!! what amounts to about 5 pounds of wet jean material, through the juicer, over and over and OVER!! again, in the hopes that it will become cloudy puffs of voluminous fibre destined for reincarnated greatness as 100% cotton rag paper. Esprit jeans and cockroaches, that's all that will survive global catastrophe, apparently.

I am blue. Literally indigo blue. In the back of my mind I am worried about what colour Kricket's next poop is going to be, if indeed she did swallow that mouthful of denim doggy delights I left unattended on the kitchen floor from the last run in with the dancing blender. There is nothing but defeat here; the only picture worth posting is this one:

Kricket, The Denim Eater

It is past midnight and everything in my kitchen is wet or blue or blue and wet. Bleary eyed, I stagger through tears to the bedroom and throw myself onto the incredibly silky, get-better-everytime-I-wash-'em 400 plus thread count cotton sheets; they feel wonderful. I will burn them tomorrow.

Post Script:

I did attempt to sieve a sheet of fibre the next day, despite being very unhappy with the slurry, and I was unhappy with the result, too. However, I WILL try this again. Someday.

Gah....! Not as envisioned.

Cardboard Bike

Cardboard bike? Yes, a cardboard bike.

This guy puts 'up-cycling' into high gear :)

First Sheets

Swans, Indeed!

Well, I am quite happy; the "paper towel" did transform under pressure and overnight where it lay beneath approximately 125 lbs of clay :) The weight helped to flatten out the waffle pattern left by the frame screen, and it no longer looks like paper towel! I am quite happy with the results, even if they are a bit more "crafty" than I anticipated. The next test will be to use ink on them (Angus!). Right now, however, I am enjoying their mere existence.

I thought I was done for the night, but as I was cleaning up, I came across a bowl of cardboard packing material that I had torn up and soaked in water. Inspired, I threw a handful in to the blender with some water and some left over flower petals and added this mix to the slurry.... this is the result! More Swans :)

Augmented slurry with cardboard and petal mixture.

Petal Paper!

I am pleased with the overall quality of the sheets, but Angus' comments about making paper that is "writeable" is stuck in my mind. I don't see this type of paper being particularly user friendly in this regard, so what to do?? Why make a bowl of course!

Wet paper moulded into bowl.

I am using one of my own bowls made in my glaze testing class for the mould. It was reasonably simple to pat it into shape and any little tears were easily patched as the paper was still quite wet. 

Bowl o'rice.

I filled the bowl with rice for two reasons: to absorb moisture and to help the paper retain its shape as it dries. We will see if my theory holds any water, er rice, but in the meantime, I have been inspired (yet again) to make rag paper from an old pair of jeans. Stay tuned! 

Paper samples thus far. Rag paper to come :)

The InkQuisition Begins

Happy Birthday, Sis! 

I would like to dedicate this post to my big sister Karma on her 39th birthday ;) She is a creator of beauty in both realms of the personal and the professional, and I admire her very much. xoxo

A lovely collection of natural colour.

Humans have been making ink for ages, and its evolution has been closely tied to that of paper. All manner of material has been used in the making of ink, most early and commonly lampblack or soot being the main ingredient. Flowers, beets and berries (for example) have all been used and are still used today commercially and by DIY crafters and artists; just Google "natural inks" and you will see the results for yourself!

If all goes well I will soon be able to put pen and ink(s) to paper, but I am getting ahead of my self :) These flowers and leafy bits are all from the yard: clematis, poppy, rhododendrons and ornamental plum leaves are just some of the colourful samples I gathered this morning. According to a number of different DIY sites I should let the petals soak in water overnight and by morning should see some colourful results - so that is what I have done!

Dark purple stamens from an orange poppy. Fascinating!

I will be posting the results and a more detailed history of ink in a few days, thanks for checking in!

H.

Paper Making - Part III

Slurry II

The last time I made my paper slurry I was so excited to blend it all up I over blended and fibres went through the screen and clung on with microscopic fingers, refusing to let go and be a nice flat sheet of paper... sheesh!  So I started over. This time I used a least favourite reading from class as the paper source ;) and blended again, this time on the low setting.

Mr. Goodman, I found an alternate theory. Let me explain...

Well, I have had some success! I have managed to dip, and squish, and pull, two sheets of "paper" off the frame and with little or no tearing of the sheet. I did end up roughing the edges all around so the flaws wouldn't be flaws anymore, but I think with some practice I will get better at lifting that first edge.

Paper sheet resting on felt batt.

It looks a lot like paper towel. Sigh. Not the gloriously pristine Chancery style from the video, but rather cheap no-name brand single ply with bits of coloured ink still intact - sort of what paper made from the stuff inside a snow globe might look like. Gah! It is difficult when you have no idea what you are doing!

Detail of paper texture. Screen from frame enhances the paper towel quality :(.

I am now squeezing the bejeezus out of the two sheets between multiple sheets of blotting paper and have them weighted with 25lb box of B-Mix throwing clay (I have given up being scientific!). I am promising myself not to disturb their transformative rest until morning when surely, the ugly ducklings will have become a lovely pair of swans...

Purely for the Experiment of It!

Can you tell which "paper" I made, and which was made by wasps??

When I decided I was going to make paper, and before I even started the blogging process, I got all excited about making paper from anything "cellulose-y", i.e. of plant origin. Sooooooo, I blended up some almonds skins left over from my homemade almond milk and some garlic and onion skin. For good experimental measure I threw in the pith from a lemon rind.

See if you can tell which of the above is the Haide-made and which is the Wasp-made :)

UPDATE!!

These tricky wasps use protein to help bond their paper and make it waterproof!! Watch this AskNature Nugget video I found on YouTube...! Aha! I think I am going to have to do that next using a little Knox gelatine powder :)

Paper Making - Part II

Slurry Continued!!

So I have blended 3 batches of slurry and filled a large Rubbermaid container to the half way point, and my Mo-eckle is at the ready! I dip.... and lift.... and voila!! Uniform layer of fibres await paperhood! I am excited :) It looks pretty good!

Then things start to fall apart... literally!!

If you watched the Chancery Paper Making video I posted, you will be familiar with the process of transferring the paper from the mold onto specially made felt batts by the "coucher". They invert the mold over the bat and starting at one edge and pressing down with an even pressure roll the mold in a continuous motion which transfers the paper layer to the batt.   

I soon discovered that my all-in-one design was somewhat problematic when trying to emulate the motion of the workers in the video. The inside edge of the deckle acts a bit like velcro and hangs on to the paper fibres laying next to it and won't let go, even when I tried to free it with a finger or the tip of a butter knife. Too, being able to ensure even contact with the felt batt is hampered unless it is lined up PERFECTLY within the Mo-eckle's cutout. I also noticed that while the layer was uniform, it was overly thin and fibres had clung to the screen itself; I am now thinking that I over blended the slurry... 

Sigh! I will have to have another go with a coarser mix and see if that doesn't help; I now realize that with over 2000 years of paper making advice available to me, maybe a little less innovation, and a little more discipline on my part is in order here.

Paper Making - Part I

Mold & Deckle

So, before I can make my paper, I need the mold and deckle. This is the tray and frame which sieves the wet paper slurry while forming it to the shape you desire. I have arbitrarily decided on a document size based on one of my favourite books, The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. 

Typically the mold (tray) and the deckle (frame) are two separate pieces, but I am going to try and make an all-in-one. I am using a wooden box from a soap gift set I received at Christmas, a chunk of left over fly screen, a scrap of pigeon wire, and a sushi mat that I never use.  

The Result!

The Mo-Eckle Lives!

Paper Slurry!

Okay, so far so good! I am pleased with my all-in-one Mo-Eckle, and having admired it adequately, it is time to make the slurry :) So I grabbed some stuff out of the recycle bin and tearing it up, threw it into the blender along with enough water to cover it by double (so very scientific) and whirred it into oblivion. It was wonderful! Junk mail and scraps of to-do lists homogenized in a new (and better!) form of my own making - I feel powerful. 

Paper Research

China's Secret

Although its use has been traced as far back as 2nd century BCE and the original inventor is unclear, the making of paper as we know it today has been attributed to a courtier named Ts'ai Lun of China in 104 CE. Prior to this, information was recorded on expensive silk scrolls or heavy bamboo sticks; being lighter and less expensive, paper's attributes quickly made it the preferred solution. In fact, it was so revolutionary, China kept the ingredients and process of making secret for many years. 

Ts'ai Lun experimented with natural fibres and bits of old fishing net, but the bark from Mulberry trees (a resource of the silk trade) was both plentiful and available and so became one of the main ingredients in paper production.

He also came up with the "mold and deckle", essentially a sieve-like frame of thin bamboo slats which allows water to pass through while trapping the slurry fibres in a thin layer on top; this simple device greatly enhanced the consistency and speed of production. No wonder China kept it secret for 300 years! 

Eventually, through war and migration, the paper secret spread through the Muslim empire (793-1100) to Spain (1150), France (1189), England (1490), Mexico (1590) and finally the USA (1690).  

For a more detailed discussion, and to audit my sources for the above, please go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioDEYljT2c4 

One of the oldest surviving dated paper documents is the Diamond Sutra. The photo shows only a portion of the scroll - beautiful isn't it?

The next step will be to make my own mold and deckle. Here is a great video I found in my research; the narrator's voice adds a fabulously dramatic element! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

Bye for now!

Garbage In + Treasure Out = GITO

Ever heard the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure"? Well, it is also the concept for my project, except for one major difference: my trash will be(come) my treasure.

I want to create things that I need, that I use everyday, from the stuff that usually ends up in the garbage can, the recycle bin, or even the compost heap.

The "things" I have in mind at the moment are a pen, ink, and paper. I am not sure if I am being too ambitious, but we will see how things go...

I have never made any of those things, and yet I use them all the time. It suits my personal ethic of striving to be as self-reliant as possible, while still partaking in a social context.

Okee-doke? Looking forward to our collective successes and failures over the next few weeks!