The Analog Counterculture & Low-Tech Publishing Series: Part 2: Analog Copiers in Theory and Practice
Event Info
Couse Code: 24FPM008I
This in-person workshop takes place at CBA on Tuesday, December 10th, from 6:00PM to 9:00PM ET.
- Tuesday, December 10th, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on November 25th, at 11:59 pm. This is the first part of a four part series. Register here for part three of this workshop.
About the Workshop:
This in-person workshop is taught by CBA instructor Rich Dana and Leisha Stanek.
On Evening Two of our Analog Counterculture & Low-Tech Publishing Series, we’ll begin by examining the history of office copying technology and how marginalized creators have adopted these techniques. Next, we’ll jump right in to exploring the hectograph- a marvelous home made gelatin pad printer that uses aniline dye instead of ink to produce up to 50 multi-colored copies. We will also use a “spirit-duplicator” or “ditto machine” which uses the same dye transfer principle to create even more copies, faster! Next, we’ll focus on the mimeograph, or stencil printer. A close relative of the silk-screen and risograph, exquisite and detailed mimeographic copies can be made with or without a machine.
This series of four in-person evening workshops taught by instructors Rich Dana and Leisha Stanek explores pre-Xerox copier technologies and how contemporary artists and writers can use them to create new works and publish small editions of zines, chapbooks, prints, and flyers.
Before there was social media, even before photo-copied zines, marginalized creators challenged the mainstream by publishing their works using DIY stencil prints (mimeographs) and dye-transfer prints (hectographs). Developed during the industrial revolution for copying documents without the use of a printing press, these quick and cheap techniques have been used by Avant Garde artists and poets, political dissidents and underground publishers since the 1800s.
Required Materials:
- All needed materials will be provided by the instructors. Bring your ideas!
About the Instructors
Rich Dana is a copier artist and founder of Obsolete Press. He is an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book and project organizer of UI Libraries’ Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry. He is the author of Cheap Copies!: The Obsolete Press Guide to DIY Mimeography, Hectography and Spirit Duplication.
Leisha Stanek is a performance poet and publisher. She specializes in zines, chapbooks and DIY printing. She’s currently producing a hand-made limited edition of her first novel, OBJECT, which will be available in early 2025.
All images courtesy of the instructor.
Class size is limited to ensure an optimal participant to instructor ratio. Register now before spots fill up! Registration for this workshop closes on November 25th at 11:59pm. The price of this class is $50. If you cannot comfortably pay tuition but are interested in taking this class, please consider filling out our financial assistance application here. We will notify you if you are selected to receive a scholarship before the start date of the class. To view more information about our current scholarship opportunities, please visit this link.
