Mental Health and Justice: Deciding with Support
/Back in 2019, OOMK were commissioned by Bethlem Gallery to work on their Mental Health and Justice project. Mental Health and Justice is a multi-disciplinary research initiative, funded by the Wellcome Trust, and addressing a cluster of public policy challenges that arise at the complex interface where mental health and mental healthcare interact with principles of human rights. We’ve worked with artists to explore some of the issues addressed in the work streams, producing The Scent of Healing (by Rabi Mali) and The Perfect Feeling (by Abbas Zahedi). For the final resource, we worked with clinicians at Kings College to produce Deciding with Support.
Deciding with Support is a resource based on themes from a research project based at King’s College London. It has been developed to provoke reflection on issues that arise when others are involved in supporting a person’s decision-making, for example, about living arrangements, health issues, or relationships.
The resource has been printed and is being distributed for free in community settings over the next few months, a digital version is available below. It’s been a really interesting and at times challenging (in a good way) project to work on and has made us think more deeply about what decision making is. We really hope this resource reaches people who might benefit from it so please do share. Many thanks to all involved at Bethlems, Kings College and the patients they worked with. You can find out more about the project here: https://mhj.org.uk/
New Work Fund: Artist Profiles and Artwork
/Last year we announced the New Work Fund to support 5 Black artists to create new print work. The five awardees are Indiana Kathleen Lawrence, Nadina Ali, Victoria Opomu, Yolande Mutale and Laina Deene. Each artist was awarded £200, technician support to create a 2-colour A4 poster/zine and 30 copies of the poster. Find out more about the artists and the fantastic work they created below.
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Indiana Kathleen Lawrence
Birth Zine (folded/unfolded)
‘I am a multidisciplinary maker and sticker collector with a strong focus on printmaking. I make a lot of works, often with a focus on DIY thinking which take the form of publications, textiles, photos, quilts, workshops and stickers. I like to make things with other people in mind, things that are often not too serious (but sometimes serious) and things that are accessible and understandable. I love printed matter in all forms.’ - Indiana
For the New Work Fund, Indiana used her design skills to produce a small zine filled with useful information, history, imagery and stories about birth to empower not just those who are pregnant but everyone within communities in which babies are born (ie everyone) with a focus on black women and non-binary people. instagram.com/indlawrence
Nadina Ali
‘I’m a self-taught graphic designer from Marseille, France and I’m currently based in London UK. I design colourful graphics with a focus on typography. I use my work as a medium to address social issues and spread joy..’ - Nadina
For the New Work Fund, Nadina produced this electric and hopeful slogan poster using yellow and fluorescent pink ink. The artwork was created as an antidote to the grim and gloomy days of the Winter months and to keep hopeful for better days to come. ‘ I wanted this piece to convey warmth and optimism which is why I went for bright yellow and fluorescent pink. I love how Risograph printing allows you to print colours so much brighter than digital printing would. It was a great experiment to see my digital artwork become a super vibrant print.’ https://www.instagram.com/nadinadidthis/
Victoria Opomu
‘My art practice is using unconventional and innovative methods to create abstract prints and 3D products, being Jewellery/accessories for the home. I experiment with different materials to produce Art prints, from Polystyrene, to reclaimed laser cut parts, Plywood, Mountboard and reclaimed materials I have around. At the moment I'm using a lot of laser cut Plywood and finding ways to add texture to it, combining Monotype textures to produce Art Prints.’ - Victoria
For the New Work Fund, Victoria adapted her existing printmaking process for Riso by creating separate layers with different tones and textures to create this energetic print. https://www.vatelierstudio.co.uk/
Yolande Mutale
‘I am an illustrator and printmaker from Brighton, UK. I graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Graphic Communication Design (2019). My work often combines a social political aspect within a visual narrative. Bright colours and humour are used as a means to engage and communicate. Printmaking being a medium I often use to visualise the themes I choose to explore. Through my work I hope to spark conversation by using the accessible format of hand drawn illustration.’ -Yolande
For the New Work Fund, Yolande created a vibrant illustrated poster with hand drawn text capturing the process of getting your hair done as a black woman. ‘Getting your hair done as a black women is almost like a ritual. The smells, the sounds and the chats. I want to highlight this familiar process through a simple but bright and comedic piece of work. The piece will be something to make you smile and take you back. The work is centred on me box braiding my sister’s hair.’ https://yolandemutale.com/
Laina Deene
‘In my work, I like to use memory and feeling to guide my illustrations and paintings. I also use location drawing as a tool to capture landscapes of places that have meaning to me. Colour is also a big part of my practice and at the moment I’m focusing on experimenting with using colour and texture to create different outcomes!’ -Laina
For the New Work Fund, Laina used Risograph printing to play around with the layering of two colours to see how certain textures can be produced in this way. Having mainly used gouache in her work- she was really interested to see how the brushstrokes translated in this way of printing. ‘I have made a layered risograph print of a memory painting of a walk I did recently at Sussex downs. The atmosphere was calm and earthy. This moment particularly sticks to my mind because of how the light was cast - it was the afternoon however it was very moody and ethereal, making the sun covered areas seem brighter than usual.’ https://www.instagram.com/lainadeene
The New Work Fund 2020 was supported through an Emergency Grant from Arts Council England
MAKE YOUR OWN ART SCHOOL
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Some of you who read our blog post from Spring this year will know we ran our first online/offline school with Rabbits Road Press friends at the start of 2020. This Winter we wanted to offer it up to the public, with a simple goal, to complete an unfinished piece of artwork that they had been putting off.
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This blog post and guide to making your own art school is available as a fuller PDF, click below to view.
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A quick rundown for anyone who is new to this space, ‘Rabbits Road Press: Online/Offline School’ is a one-week ‘alternative’ art school designed to support people at any stage in their career. The school is run by artists and educators Sofia Niazi, Rosalie Schweiker and myself, Lisa Rahman. The aim being to create an encouraging environment to finish off a piece of work, with support of a rough schedule to help create a routine, and some other helpful activities.
What I realised from both online versions of the school is that it means something different to everyone, as Rosalie said to me today, “when you work with people who you have full trust in, it creates for an instant sense of ease in a space where good things happen”. So, rather than share my own observations, I wanted to hand this space back to the attendees who make the schools what they are. Here’s what they had to say about our Winter Edition:
“Rabbits Road Press: Winter School felt like slipping out of real life momentarily and entering a space made up of creativity and care, where there wasn't even any pressure to produce something by the end of it. What I took away from the week, wasn't remotely what I was expecting. I was set on being productive and finishing a specific illustration project. Eventually I let go of the pressure I was putting on myself and the ideas I had about what I was 'good' at. Taking the lead from my fellow Winter Schoolers, I instead let myself just show up, explore and see what would happen. By the end of the week I'd completely scrapped the original idea I'd come with, and surprised myself by submitting more writing than visuals. I miss the morning zoom calls and chats, which set the days up beautifully. But the feeling of freedom and the confidence I gained from this Winter School is something I will try to keep for a much longer creative journey. ” - Winter School Attendee 1
“It’s a safe space to share ideas and experiments, with regular check-ins, recommendations and encouraging chats” - Winter School Attendee 2
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Winter School as it has given me the structure to my day and helped me along the track of making something I’ve been wanting to for a while. The morning zoom calls were enjoyable and easy going, everyone was friendly and seemed interested in what each other had to say plus I got to meet a group full of talented and kind people. I’d love to take part again in the future.” - Winter School Attendee 3
In a year of disconnect from so much of what we’re used to daily I massively appreciate what a rare space something like this school offers. Focusing on the attendees' work alone would do a disservice to the experience of just existing in a space that didn’t put pressure on productivity and output or for that to exist publicly. What I loved this year was how varied all the projects were: from photography stories, sound files, Risograph print booklets, paintings, video moodboards, written word and plant care for wellbeing.
Sofia, Rosalie and I would like to encourage you to make your own “schools” with your friends, colleagues, collaborators and in order to help you to do so here’s a quick breakdown of our Winter School edition:
1. Getting Started
Sum up your aims for the week in one sentence and add it to the class list
Prepare your materials for the week, work in whichever medium/s you like
Engage as much or as little as you like (option to attend morning Zooms with your camera off)
Connect with the joy in making because it feels good to do so
Be ready to share something you’ve made/learned in the Friday Review Gdoc
Make your own schedule for the week. Each attendee is advised to dedicate a minimum of 2 hours each day to completing their work ("something that can be finished in 10 hours, keep it real")
2. House Rules:
Practice not perfection
Own your words and actions
Take care of your own needs
Sister Cortia Kent is one of our great inspirations - see her rules from Immaculate Heart College.
3. TELEGRAM CHAT:
A space for ongoing chats and check-ins
Featuring RRP stickers
An encouraging environment to continue on the conversations we might be having in the week. E.g. This is the book reading at the moment, these are foam prints I’ve been doing, or today I’m escaping into nature and having a day at the beach
A window into each others environments
It can also be a space to share work in progress
4. SOUND BITE:
Sofia uploads an audio file/podcast link at 8am daily, these have been recommended by RRP Winter School staff
5. ZOOM CHAT:
Facilitated coffee + stretch club on Zoom from 10-11am run by Rosalie. Other Zoom activities include:
“Can you show us something joyful in your home?”
Awkward zoom silences (it’s OK)
Tag each other to answer a simple question like: “What do you need to do today? / How did it go yesterday?”
Totally OK to leave your camera off and use chat - experiment with what feels comfortable
“The Slow Goodbye” is leaving your Zoom camera on for 10 minutes at the end whilst people carry on with their day…
6. TUTORIALS:
1:1 mid-week tutorial with Art Director Lisa Rahman
30 - 40 minute slots
A space to have “Desk Chat” - the type of creative conversations and brainstorms you would have around a table in an art studio
Teasing out lateral forms of inspiration
Tools to reconnect with our creativity by finding out what it was about our practise pre 2020 that helped with our grounding
7. FRIDAY REVIEW:
Upload any work from the week that you would like to share, use 3 pages max, feel free to include an artwork description/thoughts
“Private View” begins from 6-9pm. See what everyone has been up to and add comments/feedback
Bring your own snacks
Words and Design: Lisa Rahman (ig: @lisrah), Illustrations: Rosalie Schweiker (ig: @rosalieschweiker), Introduction text: Sofia Niazi (ig: @sofia_niazi)
New Work Fund 2020
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We are pleased to announce 5 x £200 grants to support Black artists* to create new print work. The New Work Fund 2020 is specifically for Black artists who want to use Risograph in their work. No prior experience of Risograph printing is required but applicants who use printmaking in their work are especially encouraged to apply. There is no theme for this commission. To apply, please fill in the form linked below by Friday 4th December. Successful applicants will be notified by 11th of December. The judges will be Sahra Hersi, Sadie St Hilaire and one member of OOMK.
****APPLY HERE****
The fund includes:
A free RISO Induction (online or at Rabbits Road Press)
A £200 artist fee to create a 2-colour A3 print (this could be a poster or fold into a zine)
30 free 2-colour A3 prints
Print support from the RRP team
The fund is for:
Black artists who live/work in the UK (African, Carribbean, Afro-Latinx descent or mixed heritage)
Have a strong interest in producing Riso work (no previous experience required)
Art practise that would benefit from the support of the fund
You must be available to participate in a printing induction between Dec 2020 - Jan 2021**. These can be delivered remotely.
As with all Rabbits Road Press commissions, the selected artists would be expected to donate 5 posters for our shop/archive, these would be printed in addition to their 30 free prints. If artists wish to, they can sell some of their own posters through our shop at our normal commission rates, there is no obligation to do this.
* By ‘artists’ we mean anyone who makes art **Dates may change depending on Covid rules
Solidarity Print Fund
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The Rabbits Road Press team have been working on developing a few practical ways we can better assist people and groups doing important work and make our Risograph facilities more widely accessible. Having worked with lots of artists and groups creating printed work for campaigns and causes, we felt this would be a good place to start. We are introducing a rolling fund to cover the costs of printing 50 A3 posters (up to two colours) for people creating work for local projects, causes or grassroots campaigns in the UK and for those who have no recourse to public funds. You do not have to be an “artist” to apply for the fund.
The support bundle includes:
50 free A3 posters in up to two colours (or equivalent)
A free induction pack
Admin support to answer any questions. fund.
We can offer 2 bundles per month starting from January 2021. To apply, please email rabbitsroadpress@gmail.com with ‘Solidarity Print Fund’ in the title with a brief description of yourself, what you would like to print and a link to your cause/group (if relevant). Please specify if you would be able to collect the posters from the press. If you are unable to pick up the posters in person, you may have to cover postage charges.
Online/Offline Winter School
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We are excited to announce we will be running Online/Offline Winter School from 9th-13th November!
The week is designed to support people who want to complete a piece of artwork that they have been putting off. You would be expected to dedicate 2 hours each day to completing your work (something that can be finished in 10 hours, be real) and on Friday everyone will share what they have done (amongst the class only). The school will be run by artists and educators Sofia Niazi, Rosalie Schweiker and Lisa Rahman. To create an encouraging environment, there will be an optional schedule that participants can use to help them create a routine including
+ A selected piece of audio will be uploaded/shared daily at 8am
+ Facilitated coffee + stretch club on Zoom from 10-11am
+ 1:1 tutorial with award winning art director Lisa Rahman
+ Class review on Friday (in Gdocs) from 6-9pm where we can see what people have done and add comments
+ Ongoing telegram chats, stickers and check-ins
You can find out more about what to expect in a blog post written by Lisa Rahman about the Online/Offline Spring School we ran in April (link in bio). If you are based in the UK and this sounds like something that would benefit you then this is for you. If you have never been to art school then this is especially for you. You should be self-motivated and have completed at least one thing in your life since you will need to manage your own time.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK A PLACE
Supported through an Arts Council England Emergency Grant
Level Press: Abbas Zahedi and Rabiah Mali Resources
/In 2019 OOMK worked with Bethlem Gallery and artists Sahra Hersi and Rosalie Schweiker to set up Level Press onsite at the hospital gallery. The commission was part Mental Health and Justice, a multi-disciplinary research initiative, funded by the Wellcome Trust, addressing a cluster of public policy challenges that arise at the complex interface where mental health and mental healthcare interact with principles of human rights. The intention of Level Press was to support and encourage people at the hospital to self publish and to allow patients and clinicians to better communicate with each other, we facilitated this through workshops and making a publication with clinicians and patients called A Lexicon of Mental Health, hundreds of copies were distributed widely. We have since been recommissioned to further develop the Risograph press and have done so by supporting two artists, Abbas Zahedi and Rabiah Mali, to develop resources which encourage people to gently try out some interventions aimed at improving well being.
The Perfect Feeling? is a pocket sized set of affirmation cards designed by Abbas Zahedi to help people reflect on their emotions and collect themselves during the day. Abbas Zahedi is a London based artist, known for his interdisciplinary blend of social practice, performance, institution-building and writing. His practice emerged out of working with migrant and marginalised communities in the UK whilst attending psychiatric placements during his training as a medical student.
The Scent of Healing is an illustrated information guide about scents. Written by Rabiah Mali and Illustrated by Rose Nordin, the resource encourages people to reflect on their relationship with scent and consider its healing properties. Rabiah Mali is a musician and herbalist whose work is centred around community healing and women’s health. She runs workshops, retreats and herbal walks throughout the year.
Order a free copy of these two resources HERE.
DOWNLOAD: THE PERFECT FEELING
DOWNLOAD: THE SCENT OF HEALING
Redrawing Boundaries: In Conversation with Shehzil Malik
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Join us for a chat with Pakistani artist Shehzil Malik during her virtual residency to discuss her work and experiences as a feminist illustrator and designer.
Read MoreShehzil Malik: Virtual Risograph Induction
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Illustrations/samples by Sofia Niazi
As part of Shehzil Malik’s Housewarming residency, we ‘designed’ and delivered our first virtual Risograph induction. Complete with paper RISO machine, we ran through some tips and tricks for creating and preparing work for printing and shared examples of work which features a range of colours and colour blends. Shehzil is developing artwork to send us which we will print and then scan and send to her, she will work these into a larger digital file for the final artwork.
As well as discussing and demonstrating how the Risograph printer works, we went through some paper and fabric swatches to explore some options for her artwork, our technician used rich language and movement to demonstrate and describe the samples to make up for virtual shortcomings of a whattsapp video call.
Housewarming is a residency is created through a collaboration between Create London and the British Council.
Housewarming Artist Residency: Shehzil Malik
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We’re delighted to welcome Pakistani artist Shehzil Malik to Rabbits Road Press for a 6 week virtual artist residency! As part of Housewarming, Shehzil will be collaborating with members of the press to inform and develop a new piece of art, the residency is created through a collaboration between Create London and the British Council.
Shehzil Malik is a Lahore based designer and illustrator whose work focuses on human rights, feminism and South Asian identity. Her bold illustrations are internationally recognisable, she has made work for Aurat March (Women’s March), collaborated with Rachita Taneja (Bangalore) on a series of posters in response the Kashmir Lockdown, has been involved in Mil Ke Chai, a ‘friendship across borders’ artist cafe, and has more recently produced work to address and warn against the effects of high levels of pollution in Pakistan and misinformation around Covid-19.
Earlier in 2020 we exhibited a selection of Shehzil’s work at Rabbits Road Press as part of Mil Ke Chai’s London edition, we have also recently printed Women’s Work, a book about imaginative and enterprising women across South Asia, which she also contributed to. We’re very hopeful that Shehzil will visit the UK and Rabbits Road Press for real later this year as part of the residency.
Over a six week period, Shehzil will be in conversation with Louisa Tock, Sahra Hersi, Sadie St Hillaire and Naila Tasnim to learn more about each other’s work and to share insights and feeling on what it’s like to live in cities which are so far apart. The paid collaborations will help to inform Shehzil’s work which will be developed partly at the press and partly digitally. Shehzil will receive a virtual Risograph induction and be sent scans of her printed work to incorporate into a larger artwork. The logistics of facilitating and supporting the residency, which has been made virtual due to Codid-19, poses exciting opportunities for the press to test out and develop new ways of working remotely with artists.
As part of the residency’s public programme, we have invited Naila Tasnim, a photographer, writer and member of DIY Rabbits collective with as interest in socially engaged art, to interview Shehzil about her practice. As part of the public event, a pre-recorded interview will the pair will be broadcast on ZOOM and we will invite members of the audience to participate in a live Q&A . More details to follow.
Online/Offline Spring School
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Keen to not let current apocalypse circumstances ruin our dreams of a week together working on self-initiated art projects, we tested out Online/Offline Spring School with Rabbits Road Press staff and friends. The aim was to create a space for us to remain connected, creative, supported and to get a sense of what sort of activities and offerings our near-future public programming could include. Lisa Rahman, a multi-award winning Creative Director & Visual Artist who attended last year’s Summer School, joined us for the week and reflects on her experience.
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As a creative, I believe learning never stops, it just gets rarer to find spaces to develop your design practise with your peers in a non-pressured way. Many of us are used to institutions with structures, rules, deadlines and internal hierarchy strains but if I were to describe Spring School it would be something along the lines of an art residency, club, makerspace, skill-share and art therapy hub where you throw out the traditional rules of teaching and learning to make your own. Sofia Niazi and Rosalie Schweiker, who are exceptional educators and artists, are key parts of making the school work. Before the official “London Lockdown” was announced, the pair extended an invitation to RRP staff and friends, all from different design practises and disciplines, to join them in taking one week off to work on self initiated projects and to support each other to create work in their unique space in Old Manor Park Library. Like many of us, the circumstances around COVID-19 meant our plans had to be put on hold, reworked and taken digitally if possible. Thankfully, a new structure, including daily meets online, gave us freedom to create as little or as much as we liked whilst staying connected.
Here’s my journal of the week, loosely chronicled in days because really, “what day is it again?”
Monday
Each Spring Schooler decided on a project they wanted to focus on that week for a suggested minimum of 2hrs a day. We shared our project briefs/aims with the group so that we could see what each of us had chosen to work on. This is a rough daily schedule:
Hear/read a new Sermon which will be published at 8am
10-11am coffee and stretch with Rosalie via Zoom: a very low-key morning hang out, with no need to chat, you can just have it in the background. It's just there”
Read what people have been writing in response to the Big Questions.
Chat about all the small questions via Telegram group chat
I guess that “excited and nervous” feeling before school starts never changes… I join the Zoom hang out, and instantly felt comfortable hearing the many honest accounts of what people were experiencing during this time, much of the group is made up of freelancers who related to a guilty feeling/sense of immense pressure to use this time to “create” or “make”, we agreed that this was an impossible thing to navigate during a global pandemic.
Hearing daily thoughts encouraged me to document my morning moods into two feelings (see picture), and I feel it sums up the frequency of our changing emotions during this uncertain time. In a classroom you multiply that, shuffle it around, add a tonne of other emotions, and accept that right now there will be days of productivity vs. days of stillness and that’s all ok.
Tuesday
Our “morning sermon” landed at 8am, and it was a video of Sister Corita Kent speaking, you may know her as the “Pop Art Nun” of the sixties and if you’re not familiar with her practise, check out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ZoKodAZJU&feature=youtu.be
It felt like a timely reminder to hear Corita speak on the theme of creativity sometimes be a by-product of pain, that beautiful work can come out of those difficult moments, and whether these outcomes are shared publicly or privately, both can hold a unique power. This feels relevant especially now, whilst many industries are trying to digitise their jobs to this long period of working from home, as Creatives, what role do we play in contributing to what is shared online? especially when the social-media landscape feels so saturated? I turned my focus away from creating content for social media or participating in what felt like already noisy space and towards sharing openly with Spring Schoolers my struggles and creative thoughts whilst listening to theirs.
Whilst we all navigated how to spend our time at home, Spring Schooler Aleesha shared with us a sketchbook from her childhood. Interestingly, she found that work she had drawn as a child (featuring nature and trees) shared some very similar themes to the types of things she enjoys drawing now. That whimsical thinking meant on her daily walks she started noticing trees more, and as a result created illustrations using negative space as a starting point, drawing around a focal object and then adding in some detail. This is a perfect example of learning from your peers and many of us were inspired by this approach of reflecting on past work to inform our current practise and also taking up quick drawing exercises.
Not to forget, Rosalie played a quick game of spot the difference with her ordinary household set ups and we all were engrossed (see picture).
Wednesday
By this point the daily sermons and morning Zooms were already adding structure to my day, for the first time in weeks, I was not losing track of what day it was. A conversation that kept coming up in our chats was the art of “mindless making”, the idea of making without purpose, and that it soothed us to make things with our hands.
RRP Technicians, Sadie and Etta, offered us a FREE Embroidery tutorial, teaching us different stitching techniques. Rosalie showed us her Easter decorations saying “I thought I’d go back to doing what I liked doing as a child and I made a little theatre for a story which we usually listen to around Easter time in my family", Sofia was hand tufting an entire mat from scratch.
Thursday
I dedicated Thursday to celebrating animals, creatures and thoughts big and small.
It’s safe to say I remember nothing of Thursday’s ZOOM after Etta introduced us to her adorable kittens, just look at the joy in our faces. We all wondered how improved our days would be if kitten cam was a thing. I'll leave that thought here so you can think about it too.
In other Animal news, Rachel, our Animal Crossing gamer kept us up-to-date with the beautiful virtual world she was creating in the cult game. She posted some thoughts in our Telegram group on gaming being an analogy to life that really made me think: “I think there is definitely a lesson in the game about taking your time! I follow a YouTuber who has been figuring out how to make the most money, optimum ways to crossbreed flowers and seems to have about a million Excel spreadsheets on all his research. I had to sit back and say to myself, that it's cool if he wants to do that and complete it all as soon as he can but I think it's fine for me to play it in a more leisurely way and I think that applies to real life too!”
Meanwhile Sophie M (there was another Sophie too) was making a video of Dolly Parton (who soundtracked her week) together with “jellyfish overlords. In the lyrics, Dolly is humanity singing to the jellyfish ‘Here you come again (to dominate the ecosystem), just when I've begun to get myself together (after near economic collapse)’”. More great food for thought.
Friday
The week ended with a Private View, except it was a Google doc, where all participants had to upload and share something from their projects or work in progress by 6pm. The low-fi technology required to do this was exceptionally true to RRP’s not overly techy ways. It took viewing art to it’s basics where it was about engaging with the works and ideas which were accompanied by heartfelt and not overly complicated captions. I leisurely scrolled up and down through the document watching people live commenting, I went away to grab a hot drink, and came back, pacing myself through the work like I was solo-browsing through an exhibition space (again, a Google doc) I was viewing it from my new workspace in my bedroom. The document was a cool 75 pages, and for our eyes only, but some of the Spring Schoolers kindly allowed me to share their work below, it’s a reminder of what can be created when given a safe space with encouragement of your creative peers.
I feel like Spring Schooler Kerri summed up RRP Spring School beautifully in one of the comments in our Gdoc: “I feel lots of gratitude to RRP and to you all for holding this space. The morning Zoom chats have been a super nice space to give the day structure, check in with peeps and share where people are at alongside the telegram *water cooler*. I’ve felt present and cared for. I have also really loved taking time in the day to listen to the sermons ~ it is so nice to listen to someone speak to you like that. So thank you from the bottom of my physically distant heart. “
I think the sign of any good creative institution is when the School continues on and we’re three weeks into our Friday morning check ins, with us happily taking Spring School into Summer… and beyond.
Lisa Rahman is a multi-award winning Creative Director & Visual Artist who divides her year freelancing between commercial projects and those with more of a grass-roots community focus. Follow her @lisrah.
Head over to our instagram @rabbitsroadpress where Lisa will be doing an insta takeover all week!
Riso Working Group UK
/Two years ago Rabbits Road Press teamed up with Esther McManus and other riso enthusiasts to start Riso Working Group UK. The aim of the group was to connect and support risograph artists/designers/printers across the UK. We invited Rachel Littlewood, the London based risographer & designer who currently runs the Riso Working Group, to write a guest blog post and tell us about how things have developed since. Rachel has been a part of the risograph printing community for over 5 years and currently works at London College of Communication in Print Finishing and as a risograph technician at Rabbits Road Press.
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Guest post by Rachel Littlewood
Riso Working Group (RWG) is an informal network of UK based Risograph artists, designers, technicians and operators. With a collaborative approach to the organisation of the group, all the members have an equal opportunity to both share and ask for support; be it technical, creative, or anything else Riso-related. It is a safe space for everyone interested in this medium to share ideas that could drive the whole UK Risograph scene to become more sustainable, efficient, and innovative.
London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA)
The first RWG meeting was organised by Sofia Niaz (Rabbits Road Press) & Esther McManus back in March 2018, with the aim to help connect Risograph technicians & owners, and help them support each other in regards to technical issues. RWG has since expanded its definition to include those who use Risograph printing in their work, or anyone with a general interest in the printing process.
Although this first meeting was mainly attended by London based Riso enthusiasts, it was clear that the group must be accessible to as many people as possible across the UK. It was noted that there are worldwide online Risograph resources available such as the Facebook group, Stencil.Wiki & the Slack workspace, but it felt that the Risograph communities in other countries such as the US or the Netherlands were much more closely connected.
Good Press
After much trial & error through the group’s first few meetings, it seemed that a mixture of in-real-life meet-ups all over the country & a dedicated WhatsApp group for all members worked best. This allowed for everyone to ask or give advice from wherever they are, whenever they need, but also gives people the opportunity to make face-to-face interactions and visit each other’s studios. The group has also set up an online newsletter which is sent out regularly and includes information about upcoming meetings, events RWG members are organising, and Risograph machines that members are selling.
A notable meet-up from last year would be our June visit to Dizzy Ink in Nottingham. Craig & Ben, who run the Risograph printing press, first showed us around Notts Zine Library which they set up. The zine library is currently housed in Nottingham Contemporary, and features a large range of zines from across the world; many of which are Risograph printed! After perusing the zines, we headed over to their studio space, which is a part of The Carousel; a space that provides workspaces to creatives as well as a community focused workshop programmes. As a group we had lunch together, before taking a look at Dizzy Ink’s set up, and making some prints that were to be used as part of their signage for an upcoming event.
Dizzy Ink
Last summer we also visited the G F Smith factory in Hull, which was an exciting opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at where a lot of our paper comes from! We were accompanied by the lovely paper consultants Roisin and Aimee, who showed us all the areas of the factory such as; where the paper is embossed, where the envelopes are made, where our paper orders are packed up, as well as the impressive paper warehouse! It was great to be able to see the different ways paper can be used, and what happens to it before it arrives at the doors of our printing presses.
G.F Smith Factory
Over the past 2 years, Riso Working Group has held 15 meet-ups, across 5 different locations across the UK, with plans to visit several new locations in the future. With roughly 60 members in the group, RWG is looking forward to working on some larger scale events, such as a book fair and a field trip to the Colorplan paper mill. The group is run purely on the goodwill of the members, and is open to anyone who has an interest in Risograph printing.
You can follow Riso Working Group UK here on Instagram and sign up the Newsletter here.
OOMK / RRP Workshop Tour
/We’ve got lots of free workshops around London coming up in the next few months! Read below and sign up if you’d like to attend any.
Shoreditch Print Workshop
As part of PEER in the Library, One of My Kind (OOMK) are initiating a public programme of artist-led workshops that invite Shoreditch Library users to come together and create THE SHOREDITCH LIBRARY PRINT WORKSHOP (SLPW), a collaborative environment dedicated to experimental print production for all that takes inspiration from Augusta Savage's community workshops at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, Harlem and Sister Corita Kent's approach to art education in the 60s. Join the SLPW and learn how to use your local library to make handmade publications, posters, badges, postcards, calendars and more. By the end of the workshop participants will be exhibiting authors and artists.
THE SHOREDITCH LIBRARY PRINT WORKSHOP proposes the library as a site of art production and its users as artists in residence. Using affordable everyday materials and office supplies to create challenging and creative art, the library is reiterated as a community space free for all in which art instruction is made accessible and can act as a catalyst for creative expression, protest, respite and joy.
OOMK will work with participants to transform the project space downstairs at Shoreditch Library into a functional workshop and open studio in which work will grow over the weeks, drawing on the library and local area for inspiration.
At the end of the three-month project, there will be a closing event to which all participants of the SLPW will be invited to come together to celebrate their work and launch a limited series Risograph zine documenting the workshops.
WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS
Saturday 15 February 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE WRAPPING PAPER. Learn how to use the library to build a word, type and image bank across a variety of themes. Work together to experiment with techniques for distorting and layering images using the light box and photocopier to create a bank of abstract textures and shapes. Create a motif and learn how to turn it into patterned wrapping paper that you can take away with you at the end of the workshop.
Saturday 22 February 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A BADGE. Pack a punch in a small space or create great decorative button badges. Using templates, found imagery and Letraset lettering create themed badges that are an ode to THE LIBRARY. Learn how to use a badge machine and take away your own set of badges at the end of the day.
Saturday 7 March 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A ZINE. Have you ever wanted to make a zine? Using the SLPW image bank and a template of your choice learn how to make a zine using just a single sheet of paper and a single cut. Next, learn how to make a collaged 8-page zine focusing on found text and imagery. Find out how to duplicate your zine ready to distribute it near and far.
Saturday 21 March 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A POSTER. Pick a wild prompt in a lucky dip and make a poster for an event close to the library (Disco at the Post Office? Or maybe a wedding at the nail salon?) Learn how to make a strong wheat paste glue from everyday kitchen ingredients and paste your poster for all to see.
Saturday 4 April 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A POSTCARD. The Photocopier, The Librarian...The Automatic Doors. Inspired by the iconography of card decks, use collage material to turn an aspect of the library into a symbolic image. Learn how to duplicate sets of postcards on the photocopier and to cut and create stacks of evenly shaped cards with a wraparound.
Saturday 18 April 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A CALENDAR. Learn how to produce a theme and create imagery for each month of the year. Learn how to duplicate your calendars on the photocopier and choose from different binding options to create your own calendars to take away with you and share with family and friends.
Saturday 2 May 2020, 12:00–14:00
MAKE A BAG. Learn how to make your own stencils and use colourful inks to build up patterns, scenes and slogans to make wearable art in the form of a cotton tote bag.
Saturday 16 May 2020, 12:00–14:00
JOIN THE PRODUCTION LINE. Come and learn how to put together a handmade publication. Take part in the production line and commandeer a workstation to get 50 publications made in 2 hours.
To book a place for any of these workshops please email local@peeruk.org
ALL WORKSHOPS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Thursday 28 May 2020, 18:00–20:00FINAL EVENTThe final closing event will mark the end of the 3-month project and invite all members or “alumni” of the SLPW to come together in the space to celebrate their work and the sharing of a limited series Risograph zine documenting the workshops. Work from across the 3 months will be displayed for all to see.
Level Press: OOMK x Bethlem Gallery
We’ll be co-hosting We're running 3 Risograph workshops at Maudsley Hospital/Ortus as part of Bethlem Gallery’s Mental Health and Justice project. Sign up via the eventbrite links.
Workshop: Communal Care Zine- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-communal-care-zine-tickets-94148250953
Workshop: Getting Help- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-getting-help-tickets-94148678231
Workshop: Scent of Healing- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-scent-of-healing-tickets-94149548835
Breathing Room: OOMK x Freeword Centre
How can we spread knowledge without recreating systems of power?
Explore DIY collaborative publishing practice OOMK’s dynamic, collectively curated reading room housing a collection of zines and small press publications that challenge, document and offer quietly radical solutions to established power structures.
Breathing Room is a place to read, rest (exhale), meet and plot, share, recover and transform (together) – with zines as a source of communal knowledge, a self-sustaining model of publishing and an alternative form of collaboration.
Curated by Heiba Lamara. Zine partners and co-curators include daikon* zine, Leila Kassir, Jacob V Joyce and more. https://freeword.org/breathing-room/
Exhibition Open! Activating Newham
/By Charlotte
On Saturday we welcomed our first visitors to the Activating Newham exhibition at Old Manor Park Library, where we also premiered Ayo Akingbade's latest film, So They Say. The exhibition has been curated by young Londoners and responds to a summer of talks, workshops and training that have explored the history and legacy of activism in Newham.
Over the summer, the group met weekly for a programme of public talks, events and oral history training sessions that began to situate their own insights and experiences of racism and activism in the context of this history. They heard from 20 speakers, spanning 30 years of activism in Newham - including Dr Gerry Gable of Searchlight magazine, Newham Monitoring Project members, @lowlamichelle of @sistersuncut, housing campaigners FocusE15 and John Pandit of Asian Dub Foundation.
The exhibition is open every Saturday and Sunday until the 24th November (10am-4pm). This Saturday, @daikon.zine and @rabbitsroadpress will host a drop-in risograph and wheatpaste workshop (10am-2pm). Make your own collage posters using archival materials from the Institute of Race Relations, and memorialise alternative histories with DIY blue plaques. You can also try your hand at wheatpasting your work up on boards.
We've worked on this project with the Institute of Race Relations and @rabbitsroadpress. Please do join us at the exhibition this month (Old Manor Park Library, 835 Romford Road, Manor Park, E12 5JY). Thank you to @heritagefunduk for supporting this project and @aceagrams for supporting Ayo's film.
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#ActivatingNewham Workshop Diary
/By Kay Stephens
Over the past few months, Rabbits Road Press has hosted a series of talks and workshops as part of Activating Newham – a project engaging local young people in histories of community organising in Newham. Mine and Etta’s role in the project has been to run creative workshops responding to the talks programme, which has featured speakers from historical organisations such as Newham Asian Women’s Project and the Asian Youth Movement, as well as activists from contemporary groups such as Focus E15 and Grime 4 Corbyn. Our overall concept for the workshops was to explore how print and design can be used in political communication and to share DIY printmaking skills rooted in Rabbits Road Press as a community space that the group will hopefully continue to make use of in the future.
For our first workshop, ‘Repurposing the Archive’, we used photocopied publications from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) archive - including flyers, pamphlets and photos from community defence campaigns in the 80s - to make posters relating them to issues of police violence today. Some of the group had visited the IRR archive previously, so this was an opportunity for a different form of engagement with the material there.
It was great to see the ways community activists used print and design for political communications and to learn to riso print together. This was the first time we had met with the group and it was also nice to be able to learn about their relationship with Newham and interest in the project. One of the women who came along was a local Labour councillor and recognised one of her colleagues in an old photo from a protest against police brutality!
For our second workshop, ‘Memorialising Alternative Histories’, we designed (paper) plaques and wheatpasted them onto upright boards. We wanted to think about whose stories get remembered and publicly honored, and whose get erased or sidelined. In the previous two weeks, the talks programme had included speakers from the Asian Youth Movement who spoke about historical anti-racist campaigns in Newham. In order to publicly memorialise such histories that many even in the local area are not aware of, we thought to appropriate the design of blue plaques to make our own memorials, and share wheatpasting skills so people could paste them up in relevant local places.
We had some really great designs and and the group picked out a range of people and events for the plaque. A popular choice was the School Strike of 1983, in which many children from local schools struck in solidarity with the Newham 8, who were facing charges for defending themselves against police.
The wheatpaste worked really well, and can confirm the plaques are still firmly on the boards. I’ll share the steps here if anyone wants to try this at home.
RECIPE FOR WHEATPASTING
Measure one part water, four parts (plain, white) flour
Pour water into the saucepan, then sieve flour into saucepan
Heat to just below a boil, whisking or stirring constantly
When the paste becomes thick and slightly translucent, it is ready to use!
Wheatpaste is literally just flour and water so it is cheap, easy-to-access and non-toxic!
For our third workshop, ‘Recycled Banner-Making’, we used old riso masters to mono-print slogans onto old bedsheets. We wanted to think of thrifty ways to do bold and larger format communications so landed on this idea. In the workshop, we brainstormed ideas for slogans as a group, keeping in mind the various themes of the previous talks. We have a number of great ideas - one person suggested ‘It’s Not Your Shame, It’s Our Struggle’ in response to the talk on housing where the speaker mentioned people’s shame about needing help. Another suggested ‘Many Voices, One Chant’ to communicate solidarity across difference, inspired by the talk on feminism. We settled on ‘Removal, Regeneration, Replacement’ and ‘Gentrification Devours Communities: Eat Landlords’ (which had to be shortened to ‘Eat Landlords’).
Making banners takes longer than you might think! We had a two hour session but it was a bit of a rush and we got really messy with the mono-printing. But the rush and technical difficulties made it really fun and collaborative.
Making banners takes longer than you might think! We had a two hour session but it was a bit of a rush and we got really messy with the mono-printing. But the rush and technical difficulties made it really collaborative and fun.
For our final workshop, we focused on smaller-scale communications, making stickers and badges. This was actually inspired by the massage ads that litter Manor Park’s streets, and the idea of covert communications where official channels are unable. We brought along some of the logos of the different groups that had come to speak during the programme for inspiration, but gave people free reign to design whatever they felt like.
We used sticker sheets and put them through the riso printer (top tip: put the sticker sheets through with another piece of paper below it so it doesn’t get stuck), and for the badges, we used the badge-maker at Rabbits Road, which we hope people will come back to use in the future!
The whole programme has been a great opportunity to meet people, share DIY creative skills and ideas, and get inspired. We hope everyone who came along will continue to use Rabbits Road Press for their creative and campaigning work!
Upcoming
Our next and final workshop will be a DIY Riso and Wheatpaste Skillshare, 10.30-2.30pm on 23rd November at Rabbits Road Press. We hope to see you there!
Activating Newham
/The Institute of Race Relations and Create London supported by Rabbits Road Press are supporting a diverse group of young people to develop an ambitious new oral history project that will take the history and legacy of anti-racist organising in the 1980s as a starting point from which to explore different communities’ experiences of racism in Newham then and now.
Over the next 6 months, a newly-established young people’s group will meet weekly at Old Manor Park Library, and develop a programme of public talks, events, screenings and oral history training sessions that begin to situate their own insights and experiences of racism and activism in the context of this history. The project will culminate in an exhibition curated by the young people at Old Manor Park Library in November 2019.
Etta Voorsanger-Brill (Rabbits Road Press) and Kay Stephens (Daikon) are leading workshops at Rabbits Road Press every fortnight with a group of young people (16-30), if you would like to be added to the group please contact Scott Burrell, scott@createlondon.org, with the subject ‘Activating Newham’.
Programme
Monday 19 August Activating Newham: Anti-racism and Anti-fascism
Join us for an exploration of the history and impact of anti-fascist organizing in Newham with British political activist and long-serving editor of anti-fascist Searchlight magazine Dr Gerry Gable chaired by Anya Edmond-Pettitt, Researcher on the European Race Programme at the Institute of Race Relations.
If you are between 16-30 years old and would like to get involved please RSVP as there are limited spaces available.
This event is part of a series which will be held every Monday from the 8th of July at Old Manor Park Library (835 Romford Rd, Manor Park, London E12 5JY) from 18:15 - 20:00
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2480880898853158/
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/activating-newham-anti-racism-anti-facist-organising-tickets-68165927123
Tuesday 27 August Activating Newham: Reinventing Education
Join us for a talk exploring the significance of education community activism in Newham with educator and one of the founders of the Newham Monitoring Project Ilona Aronovsky, chaired by Cillius Victor.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/477090169775022/
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/activating-newham-reinventing-education-tickets-68169192891
Monday 2 September: Memorialising Alternative Histories (workshop)
Create alternative blue plaques to commemorate historical or personal events surrounding the ideas of anti racist organising & alternative education in this workshop led by Etta Voorsanger-Brill and Kay Stephens. The workshop will include showing participants how to wheat paste using a board which will be displayed at Rabbits Road Press.
RSVP: leyla@createlondon.org with ‘Activating Newham: participant’ in the subject.
This project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Photos by Kay Stephen