re/done

Private View: Wednesday 9 April, 5-7pm

The Printing Types re/done is an experiment that explores the space between design and archives, and research and creative practices. A way to look at the relationships between and through histories in the development of new dialogues situated in individual, collaborative and collective typographic explorations, printing processes and design pedagogies.

This examination starts with a booklet, part of the Birmingham School of Printing (BSP) collection, held in the Birmingham City University archives. An example of the finest printing under the direction of the first Head of the School of Printing Leonard Jay (1925-53) a master- printer, craftsman and pioneering educator. The Nature of the Book was written by Beatrice Warde, in 1930. It is letterpress printed with some ornamental aspects as well as a motif pattern in repeat for the cover design. It was also printed in 1930. 

2025 is important in the Birmingham City University calendar as it sees the hundredth-year anniversary of Jay’s tenure as the first Head of School at the BSP. His legacies continue through practice and pedagogies in the School of Arts, BCU.

re/done is an assemblage of the contributions by current BCU staff, students, visiting professors, friends in industry, alumni, and colleagues in other institutions.  Graphical interventions to reconfigure, disrupt, reinterpret traditional conventions to create the new.