Type Liberation Project
Phase 1
As technology has changed in the past fifty years, the value of letterpress type has changed as well. There is an abundance of metal type and fewer printers who use it. As old letterpress shops close, it is often more valuable to sell the letters as "scrap metal" than it is to find letterpress printers wiling to buy the type. I was interested in finding out about what has been happening with this old scrap metal and researching this online when I discovered that at-home ammunition makers find the foundry type metal ideal for their bullet making. As a writer, I found the idea of taking words and letters and turning them into bullets barbaric. We should use words and letters and writing to stop physical violence, not become part of it! The Type Liberation Project is a way to resist.
In October 2012, I ordered ten pounds of the assorted foundry type. After sorting the type by size and by font (and organizing it alphabetically) I printed the letters onto a 12 x 20 sheet of paper. For more about the genesis of the project, click here.
On November 15, 2012, at a stop on the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, broadsides were handed out to writers willing to help.
I want the writers to have as much license as they need to create the work, so I won't give instructions what to do with the printed version of the letters or the PDF below. Some writers have talked about creating a new line at every break or new font. Others, choosing less constraint, have decided to use any available letter. The level of constraint and restriction is up to each individual. My hope is that some writers will choose to write directly on the broadside. Others will type the final poem and send it in an email. These are all possible. The important thing is doing the work.
In the meantime, if you do have questions, feel free to contact me at hugo.h.pellinen@gmail.com.
The text on the broadside and in the image below gets VERY small. I recommend downloading the PDF. It's a much clearer image and one that allows you to zoom in. If you're interested in the acquiring a printed broadside (either a copy to write on or a more finely printed version that is ideal for framing!), please send me an email.
As technology has changed in the past fifty years, the value of letterpress type has changed as well. There is an abundance of metal type and fewer printers who use it. As old letterpress shops close, it is often more valuable to sell the letters as "scrap metal" than it is to find letterpress printers wiling to buy the type. I was interested in finding out about what has been happening with this old scrap metal and researching this online when I discovered that at-home ammunition makers find the foundry type metal ideal for their bullet making. As a writer, I found the idea of taking words and letters and turning them into bullets barbaric. We should use words and letters and writing to stop physical violence, not become part of it! The Type Liberation Project is a way to resist.
In October 2012, I ordered ten pounds of the assorted foundry type. After sorting the type by size and by font (and organizing it alphabetically) I printed the letters onto a 12 x 20 sheet of paper. For more about the genesis of the project, click here.
On November 15, 2012, at a stop on the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, broadsides were handed out to writers willing to help.
I want the writers to have as much license as they need to create the work, so I won't give instructions what to do with the printed version of the letters or the PDF below. Some writers have talked about creating a new line at every break or new font. Others, choosing less constraint, have decided to use any available letter. The level of constraint and restriction is up to each individual. My hope is that some writers will choose to write directly on the broadside. Others will type the final poem and send it in an email. These are all possible. The important thing is doing the work.
In the meantime, if you do have questions, feel free to contact me at hugo.h.pellinen@gmail.com.
The text on the broadside and in the image below gets VERY small. I recommend downloading the PDF. It's a much clearer image and one that allows you to zoom in. If you're interested in the acquiring a printed broadside (either a copy to write on or a more finely printed version that is ideal for framing!), please send me an email.
tlppdf.pdf | |
File Size: | 1440 kb |
File Type: |