Keeping Craftsmanship Alive
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Print for print's sake - now there's a novel concept. In a
necessarily commercial world, it's an eye-opener to delve into places where
the craft of print lives on. Peter Kohn takes a look.
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The Melbourne Museum of Printing (MMoP) is a time capsule of printing and
typography, where founder Michael Isaachsen and other volunteers hold workshops
for graphics students, industry groups, and beginners.
The museum, in 370m2 of rented space in Footscray, nestled
among trendy offices a hop from the Maribyrnong River, is a relic defying the real
estate boom - and too small to house more than a fraction of the collection, claimed
to be one of the most comprehensive in the world in its field. The rest is in
numerous warehouses where it is largely inaccessible. "This makes it hard to
maintain the interest of volunteers," Isaachsen commented.
He is hoping to consolidate the museum to a more spacious facility, where
this kit can be showcased. But, even with revenue from the classes, he laments
a lack of funds might jeopardise the museum. A support group raised $30,000
last year, and that saved the museum at the time, but Isaachsen says he wishes
the museum received more support from the printing, publishing and design
industries.
Isaachsen set up what was to become Australia's last type foundry in 1977,
as a `heritage industry' to ensure the availability of movable types. In
1993, when commercial realities bit, the print enthusiast, who bought his
first table-top press when he was just 11, morphed his hot-metal shop into
a not-for-profit museum.
On the night ProPrint called at MMoP, the Lithographic Institute of
Australia was visiting, and Isaachsen gave a presentation on movable type,
peppered with talk of `ems' and `picas', leading and kerning, and
offering lots of hands-on time with types, matrices, slugs, fonts and
galleys.
Museum volunteer, Laurie Harding, talks to L.I.A. members
about his years as a compositor.
Among the memorabilia on display was a Monotype hot-metal typesetting
system. A paper roll conveying character and layout information is produced
on the Monotype keyboard. The system was invented by Tolbert Lanston in the
USA around 1890. The punched roll is then read by the Monotype composition
caster which produces an individual metal type for each row of holes on the
tape.
The visitors then saw two other hot-metal typesetting machines that
produce each line of type as a single piece (a `slug') instead of
separate letters: a Mergenthaler Linotype which casts from a line of
matrices assembled via a keyboard and a Ludlow Typograph which casts from
matrices assembled by hand, skilfully operated by museum volunteer Laurie
Harding, another `old hand'.
The most vintage hardware on the premises is an Albion press, made by
Wilsons of London in 1849. It is a simple hand-operated press. There are
more advanced presses available for visiting artists to use, but many
prefer to know that they are using technology very similar to the original
press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450.
Like the other pieces, the old press responds to meticulous maintenance.
"We make sure each piece is in working order," he says, "otherwise there's
not much point to showing people through."
Isaachsen adds: "It's time for some serious sponsorship or philanthropy,
or the museum cannot continue.
"No one has put their hand in their pocket. I've been speaking to printers,
suppliers, government and philanthropists but I really need someone other
than myself to generate the interest. Up until now, I haven't found anyone
who has been able to put the case to these industry people and government,"
adds Isaachsen.
So why haven't Isaachsen's previous predictions of closure and destruction
come to pass? Members of his family have supported the project - "despite
sensible advice" - by selling and mortgaging their assets. "But it's not fair
that the industries for whom the museum exists allow private individuals to
impoverish themselves like this," he says. Isaachsen adds that despite limited
help, landlords have already destroyed many machines and other items and more
is expected if no help materialises.
INFORMATION
MELBOURNE MUSEUM OF PRINTING
www.printingmuseums.com/museum
Australia's working and teaching museum of typography and printing located at
Footscray, Victoria. Specialising in retention of traditional printing, both the
equipment and the knowledge.
Curator Michael Isaachsen
Phone (03) 9689 7555
Email curator@printingmuseums.com
Address 36 Moreland St, Footscray VIC
Australian Print Workshop
www.australianprintworkshop.com
The part of the feature that details events at the A.P.W. is not reproduced
here but the entire feature is available on line at the ProPrint website.
See below for link.
AUSTRALIAN PRINT WORKSHOP
Director: Anne Virgo
Phone: (03) 9419 5466
Email: auspw@bigpond.com
Address: 210 Gertrude St, Fitzroy VIC
Complete ProPrint Feature
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