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It all begins with the rag. Whether it's an old pair of jeans or the family table cloth, every rag has a story to tell. The traditional western process of making paper by hand is a unique way to give commemoration, and sometimes closure, to these meaningful materials. Peace Paper uses its portable studio to bring papermaking workshops into the community. These workshops may be outdoors in a public place, in a classroom or a studio, or in a private space. Wherever the location, it all starts with the fibers that participants bring to the table.
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There is something that occurs when one takes scissors to the cloth, an impulse even, which brings two people sitting across from one another, snipping away, closer together. Some say that a catharsis is happening - a release. Many begin sharing stories about the cloth itself, why it is significant, and why they came to the workshop in the first place. This cutting of the fiber is crucial as it prepares the rag for processing while bringing individual participants together.
Our portable Hollander beater processes one pound of dry rag at a time. It can be powered by an electric motor or bicycle. The beater is responsible for transforming cloth into pulp. Water carries the fibers around the basin, through a bladed roll which separates the weave of the rag until it is blended with the water. Ready for sheet-forming, this pulp is then transferred into buckets and vats.
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Pulling sheets of paper is a fun and messy business. Papermaking in general seems to grow wetter with each step, along with the folks pulling the sheets. To form a piece of paper, we use together a mould, which is a screen fastened to a wooden frame, and a deckle, a separate fitted frame that captures the desired shape of the sheet of paper. The mould and deckle are dipped and submerged in a vat of pulp and pulled up through the fibrous water. The water drains away, leaving behind a thick wet sheet of paper. This sheet is then transferred to a stack, and the process begins again. Eventually, this stack is pressed to remove water and strengthen the paper.
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Just as the rag has a story, the newly created paper has a story to share. Peace Paper uses techniques of printmaking, bookbinding, and creative writing in order to further the participants' expressions. We encourage individuals to imagine a fitting use for their paper, and to execute their visions in the resourceful setting of the workshop. For descriptions of how we use these specific processes please follow the links below.
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