Print Isn’t Dead #001
A big thanks to ‘People of Print’ for this feature in the first edition of ‘Print Isn’t Dead’
You can’t really say Print Club London is situated on Miller’s Avenue because in reality, Miller’s Avenue is Print Club London. Just off the side of Kingsland High Street in Dalston exists a cobbled and beautiful street that is bursting with creative energy, and that’s all thanks to Print Club.
Mag and Romain were kind enough to show me around every aspect of Print Club London. Mag’s position is Studio Manager and Romain is in charge of PR. Started in 2007 by Rose Stallard and Fred aigginson as a place to carry on screen printing after university, but with affordable memberships. Kate Higginson joined the team as a director later. They became 24/7 access and eventually home to every aspect of print; screens, equipment, exhibitions, curating and a studio management team. They’re currently going through a refurbishment but that doesn’t hinder anything, the print studio has a beginner’s t-shirt workshop taking place. I’m told the usual workshop calendar is two beginners workshops a week and beginner’s workshops for t-shirts and tote bags twice a month. There’s also a deluxe workshop twice a month. What’s interesting is that the beginner’s workshops never have over 13 people and they have 2 or 3 tutors in attendance, meaning that everyone gets a lot of quality time with a tutor.
Print Club London is based on the very essence of screen printing. All prints are unique, they’re signed and numbered. All artists are under one roof, together. Romain explains there’s a real sense of collaboration and a close knit environment and I can really feel it as I’m taken through all the different rooms. Even parts of the space that aren’t technically Print Club London, for example Absorb Arts, the fine art studio and Millers Junction, the creative desk space. all feel like part of the same family.
The passion runs through everything. I’m lucky enough to have the Gallery Manager Sarah Mei, talk me through the gallery space. She explains that all the founders are still active in design and that everything that appears in the gallery was printed in the studio next door. A very impressive feat considering the amazing work on show. She speaks about the member’s show and just the sheer vastness of applications, how she’s always in the studio looking for potential work to fill the walls of the gallery.
At Print Club London, screen printing is a timeless medium, there’s nothing they can’t do with it and they’re always pushing it further and further. For instance, Print Club London’s realisations range from screen printing bags for Stella McCartney and bespoke pop-up workshops for John Lewis to edible screen prints for Saatchi X. Print Club London want to use the gallery space to show this off too, to show the skills of screen printing.
I don’t even need to prompt them into talking about how involved they get with shows. Every year Print Club London organises a screen print show called Blisters. Every year has a different theme and this year’s is Sound Sessions. The show will take place from the 12 – 14 September. In a nutshell the format is 40 artworks of 40 editions from 40 artists for £40. To decide who goes in the show the Print Club London team have to view over 500 submissions. Pretty daunting stuff, but none of them see the negative side, it’s a chance to have a good detailed look at all the best of the work made that year.