When I ask myself what features the bicycle and print have in common, the first answer that I have is mobility. Some of the first bicycles were referred to as freedom machines. With this form of man powered mobilization, generations of people have enjoyed the notions of freedom the bicycle has so long symbolized. It has, for many centuries, transported us from one place to another with speed and efficiency at the low cost of our own energy. I find it to be a respected and valued form of transportation (more so in some communities than others). I think back to a trip I took to Copenhagen, Denmark, where there is specialized infrastructure for commuting cyclists, complete with traffic signals that give the cyclist priority over gas guzzling autos.
For me, it is the speed and efficiency that makes cycling a freeing and empowering experience. Because these qualities of speed and efficiency can also be found in printmaking, I find the notion of mobility forges connections between printmaking and cycling.
Printmaking has mobilized information since its inception. In fact, speed and efficacy are the qualities that have historically made printmaking the ideal medium for the spread of information. Just as bicycles are a form of man powered mobilization so is printmaking. Prints have legs too. Prints move about as people move about. Hotoff Press is definitely looking to the relationship between the print and the bicycle to define its objectives. Simply put, to mobilize interesting and useful information to people through mostly man powered means.
No comments:
Post a Comment