Author: h3np3stk1ngsh0d

…Looking within, to look out for folk, from a hidden corner…’

Celebrating all the very hard work of Scarborough Hull York Pathology Service (SHYPS), with this huge doodled wall art recently installed in York and Scarborough Hospitals. Plus also, 200 #letterpress prints for the staff based on this piece were created as part of this work. 

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Following a visit to SHYPS service I doodled a shared spoken word piece based on what staff said to me about their work, wellbeing and generally how they go proudly about their business to get stuff done together.

I then set this in letterpress type, sent it for review, did some edits, then with digital magic created the wall art piece using both the doodles and letterpress text forms.

Then, visiting SHYPS again I created 200 letterpress versions of the piece on an vintage #adana8x5 machine on handmade lokta paper. One for each of the staff.

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In October 2021, to coincide with the Big Draw festival, and in the run up to Remembrance Day 2021, I worked with York Army Museum to facilitate ‘A Big Draw to Remember’. Within the Museum, alongside military memorabilia and human stories from service and war, we stretched out a 7 metre paper canvas upon the officers mess table and around an elaborate silver centre piece.

Over the week of 23rd to 30th October people were invited to come along and add poppies and doodles and statements to the piece. We provided a ‘how to guide to doodling a poppy’.

This included contributions from York Normandy Veterans, Sid and Ken, the relatives of John Cunningham VC, a great great grandson of Captain Oats, friends and families of loved ones that have served, those in active service from a variety of regiments and units, and even the Lord and Lady Mayor of York.

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The result is a multiple of poppies, reflections and statements that honour the efforts of those that have, and do serve. Remembrance Day marks when  World War One ended in 1918 and is an important event, not to glorify war, but to highlight the value of freedom and peace,  and to acknowledge the sacrifices made by all those have taken steps to defend it for others.

A selection of contributions from the week have been framed and hung in the entrance to the museum.

During lockdown I taught myself to use an old Adana 8×5 desktop printing machine using metal letterpress type.  While looking for ‘how to letterpress print’ manuals I discovered an old chapbook, printed by J Kendrew, in his workshop now the site of the wonderful ‘Barnitts’ superwares store. This chapbook,  ‘The World Turned Upside Down or No News, and Strange News’ is a collection of nonsense rhymes adorned with woodcut prints that gives a bit of a quirky insight into life back then.  

So inspired by this title, in the heat of lockdown, I made a number of linocuts and some rhymes, and this is the result.  Click here to open a pdf.

From doing this I then worked with Explore York to create a community led ‘participatory’ version #Haiflu Edition. See here.

If you would like a copy, ‘The World Turned Upside Down 2020 – A Covid 19 Chapbook’ get in touch.  I’ll ask you to donate something to a good cause, and then I’ll post you one. 

This is a modern take on an old chapbook, first printed in York 200 years ago, documents some of the experiences of lockdown from people in York.  Working with Explore York, poets Penny Boxall and Janet Dean and inspired by Liv’s Torc’s Project Haiflu, we got people to share haiku poems and doodles about life during lockdown in York.  Which I then hand printed a limited edition with letterpress type on a reclaimed Adana 8×5 desktop printing machine.  

Read a digital copy of the chapbook here.

Further information about the project can be seen on the Explore York website here.