As digital technology continuously claims more space and shapes our behaviour, it’s relevant to question under which terms we allow this to happen. When it comes to creative work, technology offers the possibility to work fast, use automated solutions and even predesigned templates — hence the industry’s expectations are often adjusted accordingly. Under these conditions there is a valuable part of the process that easily goes missing. The demand of being constantly connected can result in a creative disconnection.
Hypermanual* (n.) Made by hand with a digital mind-set.
This publication is a collection of fragments from an artistic research project that looks beyond the screen — aiming for a design practice that is at a critical distance from the digital while still remaining partly defined by it. With a background in graphic design I've turned to craft to explore post-digital methods where the material and process is in focus. My attempt has been to reclaim the craftsmanship of my own practice, but in a form that is born in the mix of multiple platforms, through both the digital and the analogue. *The term was coined 2019 by Linn Henrichson for her MA in Visual Communication at Konstfack. Don't waste your time looking it up.
Accompanying this publication is the essential production of the project. It concludes in a series of deconstructed posters in the form of handcrafted original artworks made using various techniques and material unconventional to my previous practice. The work explores central themes to my research — questions of time, weight and size, and how taking the design beyond the screen affects the impression of the before mentioned.
Going against current norms of visual communication, I’ve used my time fantastically inefficiently, producing time-consuming visual material that isn’t compatible with means of constant editing and mass reproduction. It’s been a process of throwing myself into unknown territory and challenging my own attitude towards work. I’ve let procedural mistakes and material aspects inform and contribute to the shape of the final outcome. What follows here is a mix of excerpts, outtakes, sketches and scraps from the research and practice based processes. Enjoy!
TIME WEIGHT SIZE
THINKING IN CLOUDS Woodwork 750 x 1250 mm, 14 kg, 63 hours Wooden panels cut with bandsaw, painted by hand. Constructed in layers of 25 mm distance
ESCAPE Pixel curtain 750 x 1350 mm, 3,5 kg , 72 hours 1680 pieces of black plexi and mirror chained together with 1792 rings of metal
STAY AWAY Handmade rya 750 x 1300 mm, 2 kg , 98 hours Hand tufted rya rug made of 100% wool
MONUMENT Sculptural work 340 x 340 mm, 4,5 kg , 25 hours Acrystal casted in wooden frame. Black letters with marbled background in blue and white
SHREDS Lasercut paintings 700 x 1000 mm, 5 kg, 15 hours each Two layered hand painted laser cutouts in glass box frames
Produced by Linn Henrichson MA Visual Communication Konstfack 2020 Risoprinted at Konstfack Paper: Munken Pure Typeface: Ortica, Benedetta Bovani Photos: Staffan Sundtrรถm Warm thanks to: Johanna Lewengard, Moa Matthis, Minna Sakaria, Oskar Laurin, Parasto Backman, Alexandra Falagara
Linn Henrichson Konstfack 2020