2010

THE FUTURE IN PAPER – L’AVENIR EN PAPIER 2010

 

 

As an interested party who has chosen to purchase this catalogue or who has been given this catalogue as a gift, possibly you will have considered the artist paper-maker as a contemporary environmentalist shaman. As an artist the paper-maker can share a unique relationship with art and with nature; as a shamanist the artist holds witness to the transformation of plant fibres into paper and interprets that metamorphosis. When the deckle and mould are lifted from the vat disparate fibres cling together; as the earthy colours swirl and clear a truth is revealed. The environmentalist papermaker searches for sustainable fibres, materials and techniques that cause the least harm to the environment, natural plant based products in place of chemical additives and for a closer relationship to mother nature reflecting her processes and listening to her ever present voice.

L’artiste fabricant du papier a une relation unique avec l’art et la nature; comme chamaniste l’artiste est témoin de la transformation de fibres de plantes en papier, et il interprète cette métamorphose à sa façon. Quand le cadre et tamis sont soulevés de l’eau, les différentes Fibres s’entremêlent, les couleurs de terre tourbillonnent et se dissipent , et une vérité se révèle. Le fabricant de papier environnementaliste cherche des fibres de Matières renouvelables, des matériaux et des techniques qui sont le moins nuisibles à l’environnement. Il favorise des produits naturels à base de plantes au lieu des additifs chimiques, pour s’approcher de la Nature, en imitant ses processus et en écoutant sa Voix, toujours présente.







At the Copenhagen Summit 2009 it was expressed that the cultural sector will most effectively lead change in humanity’s behaviour to a more sustainable future through changes in production and consumption, as catalysts for introducing new ideas and concepts for a sustainable future. Using autochthonous fibres, recycling, learning from nature’s processes, looking back to past cultures and looking forward to future technologies are the themes linking theartists in this exhibition. Contemplating the sustainability of locally grown small scale concepts in the production of indigenous plant fibres will lead to a dialogue between nature and industry, questioning our dependence on the mass-produced; which in turn will lead to the cutting down of fuel consumption and harmful emissions.

L’utilisation de fibres autochtones, le recyclage, apprendre de la nature, regardant les civilisations du passé ainsi que les technologies du futur, sont les thèmes qui réunissent les artistes qui participent à cette exposition. L’examen du maintien de cultures locales à petite échelle, pour la production de fibres de plantes indigènes, déclenchera un dialogue entre la nature et l’industrie. Cela interrogera notre dépendance sur la production en série, et par la suite, réduira la consommation des carburants ainsi que des émissions nocives.





The recycling of locally used paper in these small scale industries, substituting plant fibres for virgin wood pulp as strengtheners in the production of recycled paper will lead to higher quality sustainable recycled paper products. Looking to past cultures to a time when we lived closer to nature, respecting the seasons, the climate and regional conditions will also lead to a new collective connection to the universe and to the understanding of our individual roles in protecting that totality. Future technologies are often considered negative but the invention of and worldwide use of computer technologies could be the saviour of our planet if they lead to a slowing down of the rapid raise in consumerism in general and paper in particular.

Le recyclage du papier dans ces petites entreprises sur le plan local, en substituant à la pâte de bois vierge des fibres de plantes comme liants, dans la production du papier, amènera à une qualité supérieure des produits du papier recyclé. Un regard en arrière vers les civilisations qui vivaient plus près de la nature, en respectant les saisons, le climat et les conditions régionales, nous amènera également à un nouvel engagement collectif envers l’univers, et une compréhension du rôle de chacun de nous en protégeant cette ensemble.







Yet high quality industrial acid free paper will still be required. Whilst it is considered that paper degenerates rapidly, this is true of wood pulp paper, which with chemical print also pollutes the soil. But acid free plant fibre paper with pigmented ink print will most likely long out live new technologies mass archival collections. Paper has been found in the caves of the ancient Chinese silk route at Dunhuang containing fibres of bamboo, hemp and ramie dating back to the early Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), suggesting that 100% plant fibre paper can survive for many many centuries. The imaginative and thought provoking work and research of these artists in the ‘Future in Paper’ exhibition point us all towards many alternative directions that can lead us to the same end; that of a sustainable low toxic low consumption, local, small scale future for generations to come, a legacy we must pass on.

Les technologies du futur ont souvent une image négative, mais l’invention et utilisation mondiale de l’informatique pourraient sauver notre planète, surtout si le résultat est une décroissance de la consommation en général, et surtout du papier.

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