Coming into Thursday's symposium, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the event beyond it being about the general topic of printing. However, I thought both speakers were really interesting and expanded my understanding of printing. When I hear the word "printing," I think of the traditional printer or printing press, but Lillian-Yvonne Bertram's work proved that it can be more. She used coding to generate new versions of Riot by Gwendolyn Brooks, and it was really cool to see examples of these generations. It was fascinating to see that a lot of themes present in Riot were still present in these created versions and her work redefined what printing can be.
The second speaker in the symposium was Dr. Senchyne from the University of Wisconsin, who talked about his family's printing legacy and his role at the university. I thought it was really great that he tried to have all of his students use a printing press, and it seemed like most of them really enjoyed that experience. This was an event I wish could have been in person just to get to see or possibly use a press. I also thought his discussion of The Wisconsin Idea was interesting and how that applied to his field. My favorite part may have been the conversation the two speakers at the end. I thought it was interesting to hear their similar experiences despite fairly different mediums. Overall, this was a really awesome experience and I'm glad I got to attend!
I was also very intrigued by how Lillian-Yvonne Bertram used programming to show the print art form from a new perspective.
ReplyDeleteI was also fascinated by Dr. Bertram's work and the prospect that what we define as a printing press can actually extend to the internet and computer programming in addition to printing physical copies.
ReplyDeleteIt amazed me how Dr. Senchyne and Bertram were still able to use printing as an art form to this day! Definitely not what I expected.
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ReplyDeleteIt was so cool to learn about Johnathan's relationship with printing and how his grandparents passed it down to him. That in a way shows the power and influence of print; it still maintains despite the digital age
ReplyDeleteI also really loved the conversation between the two speakers at the end, it really put in perspective how different mediums can have such similar passion behind them, and how diverse of an art form printmaking is!
ReplyDeleteI thought the discussion about the programming was fascinating too
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