Workshop held at: Lain way Learning, Emerge Festival, Multicultural Festival, Yearn to Learn, Ceres Fair Food.
A long time ago, well before the camera was invented, people had many different ways to create important messages or images. ‘Tuo ben 拓本’ is a traditional printmaking technique which was invented in Ancient China. This technique was to trace images onto paper, recording them for others to see. It had many uses, from tracing engraved writing on monuments and grave stones, to copying the shapes of fossils and fish. This printmaking skill can be used to trace everyday objects, revealing different perspectives.
In this class people can learn the basic history and philosophy of ‘Tuo ben’, and learn how to create their own prints. Beginning with the traditional skill, we also look at contemporary interpretations of this practice, encouraging experimentation and creativity. Compared with other printmaking techniques, ‘Tuo ben’ is relatively easy to do, and requires very basic materials, so anyone who learns can do it cheaply at home.
