re: Control P(rint)

In 2007 London's Royal College of Art did a research project involving digital printing today, and how much of society considers printing as an accessible ubiquitous format for media multiples. Not only has it been streamlined for the home, but also for industry.

A widespread perception of digital printing seems to be one of high street convenience, where the emphasis is regularly placed upon affordability and functionality over and above an appreciation of production values or visual aesthetics. This attitude is of course understandable, given that the success of the digital print industry so far has been based upon its ability to provide practical print solutions for its domestic market in tandem with a commercially acceptable proofing systems for the professional sector. To continue to associate digital printing with only these qualities however is to miss out on the opportunities it is able to offer and more importantly under play its influence on the future of printed matter.

Following their treatise, it seems to me proper that in the digital age, printing is something to very much consider, especially for the average person, but for me as a printmaker as well. What I find interesting is related to something I heard a printmaker say the other day. She was proudly talking about some blind embossments she had done, but when queried about a different work, there was a total change in tone when she described her work as..."oh, that's a digital print." The tone of voice that separated and lowered the level of the digital versus the handmade was palpable, and something I'm not sure about. And this is what Control Print delves into, our obsession with the tactile, the hand made, and all things object.

In a digital age, information is infinite. I would say that the number one way of experiencing visual art of all types today is on a computer screen whether it's 2D or 3D. We all feel the need to place our images in the cloud, and thus our art exists in a very functional form accessible to all with a web connection. Pretty useful if you ask me. But what is the difference that I know I feel, that printmakers feel, and that artists take defense against time and time again? It's there maybe because we are physical entities, and we interact with a physical world and access the virtual one through a physical terminal. The web functions more like a brain, and is immaterial.

Download and read Control Print if you're interested in thinking about this more.