Dizzy Ink offers Nottingham unique facilities and knowledge for risograph printing. This a printing method that, at first glance, appears to be screen printing on photocopier using huge single colour ink cartridges. None of the participants knew what it was at the beginning of the week, I certainly had never even heard of it! However, by the end of week we had made our own posters, sketchbooks and a group publication. You may have seen Dizzy Ink's snazzy flyers around Nottingham, advertising workshops that lure any participant into the world of print.
It surprised me to learn the colourful final pieces are actually formed in grey gradients. The group were encouraged to play with black and grey card shapes to make one composition across three different layers. Each colour of a risograph is printed separately so each layer represented a different colour, much like a screen print. The black and grey determines how much ink is printed onto the page, much like playing with the opacity on Photoshop or adding extra water to a watercolour.
Dizzy Ink introduced these techniques to the ESOL group through a variety of activities. This included a trip to City Farm, a free entry community farm none of the participants had visited before, to spark inspiration for their group publication and a brief to create their own protest poster.
Inspired by the A World to Win exhibition from the V&A, the activities enabled participants to explore how individual voices can be heard within a wider community and the importance of communication in various forms. Illuminate will be taking over Nottingham castle 28th November to further discuss, question and share skills around the themes of A World to Win, with the aim to have fun while doing so.
