collotype workshop

Collotype Workshop 2009

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Dr. Paul Thirkell

2009.04

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Collotype Printing Workshop in Taiwan

Dr. Paul Thirkell

Collotype is a rare printing technique that enables photos and all kinds of graphic imagery to be reproduced in ink on paper with almost the same degree of detail as a silver gelatine photo print. It has the distinction of being one of the oldest of the photomechan-ical printing processes; invented in 1855 and consistently used up until the 20th century for the finest reproduction of artworks; it has however, remained a relatively rare and specialised tech-nique in relation to the mainstream printing industry. Despite its potential for high quality printing, few artists have explored its possibilities for original expression. As a consequence, over the past decade or so I have, along with a handful of other like minded researchers, been active in re assessing reviving and developing the process as a fine art medium. In particular, one of my main aims in using the process has been to develop a means of accessing collotypes traditional quality for the reproduction of digitally mediated images. This has ultimately enabled me to ex-plore the possibility of adding an extra dimension of quality and personality to a digitally captured or manipulated image.

Even now, as Collotype is practiced by the worlds last surviv-ing ateliers such as Lichtdruck Kunst in Leipzig Germany, Ali-nari in Florence and Benrido in Japan, the process is still largely reliant on highly specialised techniques and printing equipment that has not changed in 100 or so years. My approach, like other new practitioners -especially those in the US - has looked toward adapting the process for use in a contemporary fine art, print stu-dio context. It has been found that with very little modification to

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existing equipment excellent results can be obtained using either etching, lithography or relief printing presses that are common to the print studio.

The standard method of making a collotype printing plate has traditionally involved hand coating a thick glass plate with a spe-cially light sensitised, liquid gelatine solution. This is then baked bone dry for several hours in a low temperature oven before being exposed with UV light to a sheet of film that carries the image to be reproduced. Once the plate has been exposed and developed, it is dampened and then inked in a similar manner to a lithograph before being printed through a specially designed flatbed press.

The main difference between lithography and collotype is that the collotype is able to hold more tonal detail than a lithograph. Collotype is capable of printing all tones from a dense black through to the lightest grey with out the necessity of breaking the image up into halftone dots. This continuous tone characteristic has allowed the technique to closely match the detail found in a photograph and it was for this reason that it was initially used in the 19th century for illustrating important scientific findings in publications such as Darwins The Expressions and Emotions of Man and Animals and Muybridges Animal Locomotion- where a high degree of photographic detail was required. By the 20th century, with the development of sophisticated colour separation methods, the process was mainly employed very ef-

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fectively for the highly accurate, single sheet, colour reproduc-tions of paintings, drawings and documents for museums, art gal-leries and archives.

As an artist working in print, it was the possibility of combining the tonal characteristics of photography with various print related graphic styles that initially caught my interest. Through my re-search at the Centre for Fine Print Research in Bristol UK I have been able to develop methods for integrating the flexibility of modern digital imaging with the high resolution characteristics of collotype. In my case this has allowed me to combine through photographs and digital montages a fusion of the graphic and photographic in my prints.

As one of the big influences on my work comes from the eastern, multi-perspective approach to image creation, I have maintained a keen interest in Japanese and other Asian printmaking practice. It was through contact with printmaking Professor Liu, Hsi- Ch-uan at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan that the opportunity came about for me to run a collotype workshop at the Universities printmaking studios. The prospect of operating in an unfamiliar studio especially with the some of the complexi-ties of the process offered a number of challenges. To overcome these and maximise the predictability and ease of use, I adopted a version of the process that bypasses the difficult and time con-suming plate coating and curing stage. Instead of using gelatine

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coated glass plates, the approach I adopted made use of the even-ly coated, gelatine surface of large format sheet film ( in this case Bergger BPFB 18 continuos tone sheet film). These were light sensitised by dipping them in a weak ammonium dichromate so-lution (3%) When dry, the plates were exposed, developed and mounted on a metal base ready for printing using regular etching or lithography presses. The students for the workshop were asked to supply digital images which were converted to negatives us-ing Photoshop and then printed via an Epson printer onto a spe-cial inkjet compatible film ( Agfa Select Jet film). This artwork was then exposed using a UV light unit onto the collotype plates. Despite the seemingly stripped down version of the process, the quality obtainable was very high and the technique was able to be learned relatively easily.

Although there is no history of collotype being printed in Taiwan, there was a keen awareness among many of the students who at-tended the workshop as to the potential of the process. Several of the students came from Museum Studies Courses and were familiar with some of the fine reproductions of Chinese paintings and artefacts that had been produced by Japanese collotype print-ers such as the renowned Benrido Company of Kyoto. As a con-sequence, the images the students chose to print were extremely sympathetic to the collotype medium. Despite there being a very full class with over 20 students, the

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workshop ran smoothly and through each students dedicated ef-forts to learn and develop skills in the process many successful prints were made. By the end of the week the print racks were full of finely rendered collotype prints ranging in style from purely photographic subjects through to expressive painterly style works. All in all it was a great pleasure to work with such an energetic and focussed group of talented students. As well as its marvellous print studios, the Taipei National University of the Arts boasts a range of well equipped facilities and a very active and impressive gallery space where many national and interna-tional exhibitions are held. During my visit an exchange portfolio of prints made by the MA print students from TNUA and MA print students from UWE Bristol was exhibited there, revealing a broad range of techniques and styles being explored by students from each institution.

Taipei has a very active art community of which printmaking plays a significant part. During my stay I was invited by my host Professor Hsi- Chuan to attend a banquet held by the Taiwan So-ciety of Printmakers. It was there that I had the honour of meeting many of Taiwans eminent printmakers and educators including Professor Liao Shiou-Ping who introduced the concept of mod-ern printmaking into Taiwan in the 1970s. Other artists such as Chung You-Hui and Lin Hseuh-Ching and Mei Ting - Yen also attended the workshop

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My trip to Taiwan was a valuable and interesting experience en-abling a significant exchange of ideas between East and West with the added bonus of the production of some very beautiful contemporary collotype prints.

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Collotype Workshop : Paul Thirkell with students at Taipe National University of the Arts.

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ISBN978-986-01-8790-8

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