dylan thomas print project especially when the october wind
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CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT
TWELVE PRINTMAKERS FROM SWANSEA PRINT WORKSHOP AGREED TO COLLABORATE IN A PROJECT TO MARK THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DYLAN THOMAS'S DEATH IN NOVEMBER 1953. EACH ARTIST WOULD ULTIMATELY PRODUCE ONE IMAGE WHICH WOULD BE USED IN A LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF TWELVE PRINTS. THIS PROJECT WAS ABLE TO REALISE ITS FULL POTENTIAL WITH THE AWARDING OF A PRODUCTION AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT GRANT FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL OF WALES, AND GOT UNDERWAY IN OCTOBER 2002.
We worked closely with David Woolley at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, whose support and encouragement was invaluable, particularly in the early stages.
Our remit was for us as artists to re-engage with an aspect of Dylan Thomas’ early work from his Swansea period. We felt that the range of our experience, background and ages would produce interesting and diverse results. Our initial meetings included readings and discussions leading towards finding a consensus for a particular approach. At this point Dr Chris Wiggington from Trinity College, Carmarthen, came with Victor Golightly and Dr Richard Chamberlain to give us a finely judged, but informal seminar. While it linked to what some of us were already doing intuitively, this helped us focus more clearly and served as the catalyst for yet more ideas. It was never our intention to provide an illustration in the narrowest sense of the word and this was an enormously useful and exhilarating process.
The Dylan Thomas Festival in Swansea, which runs from October 27th (his date of birth) to November 9th (the date he died) every year, also fed into this process with a rich programme of events, readings, speakers and rare film footage.
Our eventual focus became the poem ‘especially when the october wind’. We felt that twelve interpretations of the same text would be more intriguing than twelve individual choices and would lead to a more homogenous collection of prints.
It was apparent throughout the regular meetings up to the end of 2002 that the prints were going to be diverse, not only in imagery but in technical approach. For some artists the project provided an opportunity to develop ways of working which were new to them. This was exciting and interesting and immensely valuable for the general work-practice within the studio and achieved one of the important aims of the project. Those who came to the studio on a regular basis were able to follow each other’s progress week by week and benefit from the shared expertise.
Three Artist Proofs from each artist were ready by February 2003, a slight over run on our original timetable.
The actual printing of the hundred in the edition has been done entirely by hand. Some processes are extremely time-consuming and it may be possible to do perhaps ten prints in a day at most. Each print will have been handled at least twenty times from the start of the paper making process to the final signing and boxing of the print.
The Artists Proofs have been framed to form two touring exhibitions and the remaining one will be used as part of a workshop programme.
Following a brief preview at the Welsh Assembly Governement’s 'Wales Week' in Brussels in March 2003, and the launch of the prints at the Dylan Thomas Centre in May 2003, there will be four workshops where there will be an opportunity for established and aspiring printmakers to work with some of our artists on a related Dylan Thomas theme. At least one of these workshops will be targeted at young printmakers.
We hope to exhibit the prints from the workshops in early 2004.
SWANSEA PRINT WORKSHOP DYLAN THOMAS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
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