Let’s not Beat around the Bush (part of Doing Together 2023)
Let’s not Beat around the Bush
Workshop with Victoria Norcross as part of doing together 2023
Tuesday 4 April 2023
doing together is a yearly two-day making and sharing practice symposium at Locksbrook Campus, hosted by Bath Spa University’s Centre of Cultural and Creative Industries and Art Research Centre. Workshops, delivered by staff and PGR students from across the University, share practice-based research methods and a broad range of approaches to practice. doing together is proposed as a generous space to make/do/share and discuss practice with colleagues from a range of different Schools. Throughout the symposium, facilitators - alongside participants - test out ways of doing together in an effort to make their practice-based research explicit, rather than simply describe it.
As the project title suggests ‘Let’s not Beat around the Bush’ – this aims to encourage frank and uncensored revelatory responses (in words or short phrases/expressions) to encourage conversations using a participatory design and community engagement led approach.
Capturing authentic voices of people’s experiences/knowledge or misunderstandings of the issues raised, pushing the boundaries of type legibility, deduction, and character use to convey meaning beyond the words, in unique and experimental ways.
The workshops aimed to provide a vehicle to share experiences in a collaborative, creative and engaging way through messy and mindful play! Each outcome is unique to the maker. The posters are stamped and personally signed at the end of the workshop, supporting the authenticity of the project ethos and feature as integral to the poster designs.
Over 300 pieces of bespoke, custom-made letterpress were available to use, including chasers and furniture provided. The pieces can also be used in freehand block printing, without the need for a press, although the printing press will create beautifully crafted impressions. Using a range of neon papers and inks supported the attention-grabbing nature of the project spirit and brand meaning.
