Hand Papermaking

The aim of this consultancy was to introduce a more eco-friendly way to make paper by hand for several handpapermaking projects that were supported by Y-Development, a NGO in Chiangmai, Thailand. This way they could continue to sell their products on the European market. It also included a bookbinding course at the main office of Y-Development.

The water hyacinth is an aggressive plant, which has been a terrible nuisance on almost all continents for more than 100 years. The problem has now grown to such proportions that governments are at their wits end. There isn't one method of control that offers solace in the long term, except perhaps an integrated approach. Within this a modest role has been set aside for the production of hand made paper from the biomass of the water hyacinth. A development organization in Bangladesh originally came up with the idea to try out the water hyacinth. In fact, the water hyacinth contains too much water and many impurities, which are difficult to remove, but eventually it has become possible to produce a paper of reasonable quality.

The papermaking industry of at least 500 years old has survived in spite of  heavy competition, in spite of industrialisation, in spite of religious and national warfare, in spite of their own resistance to change and in spite of global economics. It is thanks to Indian practical philosophy and not in the least of  its most outstanding representative Mahatma Gandhi that the kagaj survived till this present day.

For the special issue of Hand Papermaking on "Paper in Performance," this short essay primarily discusses paper works by Shiraga Fujiko (1928 - 2015), an early female member of Gutai, the Japanese avant-garde art collective active in Kansai region (1954-72). It delves into her performative practice and inspirations.

This paper proposed phytoliths as promising for identifying and distinguishing sources of fibre in Chinese handmade papers. For an initial methodological exploration, two types of Raw Xuan (unprocessed Xuan paper) and the two plant materials used in making them—namely rice straw and bark from blue sandalwood (Pteroceltis tatarinowii Maxim.)—were collected. The dry ashing method was used to extract phytoliths from Raw Xuan and its plant materials.

The results can be summarized as follows. First, phytoliths characteristic of rice (Oryza sativa) were abundant in both rice straw and Raw Xuan. By looking for rice phytoliths, it is possible to tell whether or not rice straw fibre is used in a particular paper. Second, hair cell phytoliths were observed in considerable quantities in blue sandalwood bark, but absent in the examined papers. Heat experiments showed that phytoliths in blue sandalwood were resistant to long-term heat and they would unlikely be eliminated when exposed to the heat in papermaking (with heat source barely above 200°C). It is hypothesised that they dissolved while cooked in an alkaline pH (limewater). Further studies are necessary to understand whether phytoliths in blue sandalwood—while cooked in limewater—undergo morphological changes and, if yes, how.

The article deals with the Chinese tradition of burning difÍerently made paper as "paper ofÍerings" for gods and spirits' The author explains the religious background and the meaning and function of the so called "offering papers". He gives a detailed example oÍ the making of such paper. Zusammenfassung Thema des Beitrags ist der chinesische Brauch, verschiedenartig gestaltete Papiere als OpÍer Íur GÓtter und Geister zu verbrennen' Íor dem Hintergrund der chinesischen Geister-und Gótterwelt erláutert der Autor die zahlreichen Bedeutungen und Funktionen der sogenannten ,,Opferpapiere". AuÍ die Herstellung solcher Pa-piere wird anhand eines Beispiels nàher eingegangen'

This study investigates the earliest surviving Tibetan paper, from the Dunhuang cave library, using paper fibre analysis combined with codicological, palaeographical and textual information. The hypotheses tested by this method concern the regional origins and production centres of early Tibetan paper and methods for dating this material. Using overlapping typologies, we classify a sample of manuscripts into coherent groups, relating them to particular ‘book cultures’. By linking three main manuscript groups to different geographical regions, we offer new insights into an important manuscript collection, and show that the method of overlapping typologies has the potential to yield further insights.

Today, 50 years ago the Hmong in northern Thailand produced their own bamboo paper. The majority of the Hmong arrived from Laos in the 1970s and soon stopped the production of bamboo paper. Instead they started to purchase saa paper from a nearby village and in addition, Chinese gold and silver offering papers. A short visit to the Hmong village Ban Huai Numrin in 2000 yielded some interesting but rather limited data on the papermaking process as the informant recalled the process purely from memory. The bamboo papers as well as the Chinese papers are exclusively used for burnt offerings in religious rituals. During the visit the author did have a chance, however, to observe how the saa papers were decorated with perforated images that resembled Chinese coins. The people that the author spoke to also disclosed some of the ritual uses of the offering papers. The similarities and differences with the Chinese hierarchal spirit world, and the use of burnt paper offerings, lead to some clarifications.

Made of recycled clothes, slaughtered animals, and felled trees, Bibles in Renaissance England were filled with visible traces of ecological matter, remainders that remind one that words on a page are thought fused with—and inflected by—matter. This essay places Henry Vaughan’s poem “The Book” in a broader conversation about the poetics of paper: the rhetorical effects of the varied colors and qualities of paper used in the production of the vernacular Bibles that transformed reading practices in Renaissance England. Historical writers and readers, who were directly involved in a flax-to-rags-to-paper economy, recognized and commented on the natural resources from which cheap, widely distributed Bibles and other texts were made. Further, this essay models a reading strategy that attends to the natural history of books, to both the function and the form of the organic matter used to mediate human ideas.

In the spirit of Hand Papermaking Magazine's thirtieth anniversary, this essay examines the personal and professional development of Margaret Mahan as a "next generation" book arts practitioner. Mahan explains the genesis of Peace Paper Project, an international initiative that uses paper, book, and print as vehicles for social empowerment and art therapy.

The main subject of this thesis is papermaking in the Islamic world within the period from Classical Era to Self-Examination Period and the paper typology study carried out with the paper specimens from the collections of Suleymaniye Manuscript Library and other manuscript libraries under this library. Although there are some studies about papermaking in the Islamic world in national literature, there are only few studies making a typology for papers. As a result it is believed that the typology study in this thesis will be an important contribution for both the codicological studies and other studies related with Islamic manuscripts such as cataloging.
In this study, the literature review was given from the beginning of previous writing materials used before paper to papermaking in the Islamic world. In addition, paper typology studies which many of them were carried out outside this world were also discussed. After the literature review, the typology study was shared with all its stages and its results.

Comparative Analysis of Technical Developments in Papermaking during the Safavid Era
(10th, 11th and 12th century AH)
Paper has been closely associated with manuscript illumination over the course of history, playing a prominent role in bookmaking and miniature painting. Illuminated manuscripts owed their creation to the emergence of paper. Evidence suggests that papermaking, like many arts and crafts in Iran during the Safavid era (1501–1722), initially experienced a qualitative and quantitative growth only to decline in the end of the period.
Following a comparative design, the current research studies papermaking in the Safavid period based on technical manuscripts in the 10th, 11th and 12th century AH. This study is concerned with investigating technical developments, such as paper type, manufacturing techniques, fiber, tools and paper finishing process in the Safavid era.
We try to understand in what ways this process grew and declined in the early 10th century AH through mid-12th century AH. As such, by reviewing technical manuscripts of the era as well as contemporary scientific and art books, we make attempts to explore factors contributing to rise and fall of papermaking in Iran during the Safavid period.
Like many crafts, papermaking in Safavid Persia can be deemed as a Timurid heritage. In the 10th century AH, papermaking reached a qualitatively and quantitatively new stage of development, including standardization in thickness, size, technical qualities and color. Throughout this century, quality papers were produced in a wide variety with diverse decorations. Papermaking, however, underwent major changes in manufacturing techniques and decorations in the 11th century AH. During this century, paper variety diminished due to the increasing prevalence of imported papers. The 12th century AH marked the collapse of papermaking in Iran, during which time only a handful of low-quality types of paper were produced.
Keywords: papermaking, book illustration, Safavid era, technical factors, finishing process

Grasping the wooden handle of a dozukime saw with both hands, I make a rip-cut into a block of eastern white pine, leaving behind a 1/64-inch wide kerf. I am cutting a dovetail: a wood joint developed over five-thousand years ago by the hands of our ancestors. Even now, a well-fitted dovetail joint remains one of the strongest, most elegant ways to join wood. I knew nothing about traditional woodworking when I first picked up a hand-plane, but I was soon inspired by the richness of the craft: the quality of a hand-planed finish, the spirit of craftsmanship, and the nature of material. I was amazed by the wealth of knowledge embodied in craftwork. The tools and materials I encountered spoke to me; I learned to care for them and for my work. How would the things I make endure through time? How would the things I make affect others? In an era where materialism has come to represent a spiritless relationship to the things around us, traditions of craft can teach us how to imbue the human spirit in our work. After making a harvest table, four chairs, ninety-four earthenware pots, and a lamp, I reflect on the act of making as a means of discovery. Making affects our thinking and our approach to material and environment. Making can help us develop a craftsman’s capacity to listen, a great respect for material, and a desire to make better objects for posterity. Making is learning.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS

In this paper the author makes an attempt to analyze and categorize the illustrations to “Precious
Notes on Papermaking” (“Kamisuki Chohoki”, ed. 1824) according to their function. The researcher also tries to
find prototypes for some compositions and create a context for the book’s publication. The main question is:
what genre of books does its structure resemble the most – manuals, scientific or entertaining literature?
The author identifies several types of illustrations, depending on the way images are related to the text.
These images have various functions – amusing the reader, emotionally moving him or her and making the
learning process easier and more enjoyable. She points that the images taken separately are not particularly
valuable in the artistic sense, but as a whole they create a great example of book design.
Prototypes for several compositions can be traced: certain scenes illustrating papermaking appear among
images of other crafts on the 16th century scrolls, being reproduced in the same context as in books printed
earlier. The artist’s (Niwa Tokei’s) interpretation of these compositions and the original way he incorporates
them in the whole process of papermaking is noteworthy.
The title and content of the book link it to scientific or introductory publications: the paper compares it
with the book on silk production and various publications about agriculture. On the other hand, some features of
the “Precious Notes on Papermaking” are completely beyond the boundaries of educational literature. These
distinct features can be found in satirical literature. This combination of genres seems to make the book special
in comparison with other contemporary publications, although it is also possible that suitable analogies have not
yet been found. In any case, “Precious Notes on Papermaking” is a significant source of study which
demonstrates several prominent phenomena of the Edo period like an urge to categorize things and include
humorous details in the text.

Veteran soldiers who choose to confront a culture of militarism occupy a challenging subject position. They cannot rely on the institutional and public respect generally reserved for veterans who do not question their military service. The Combat Paper Project, a workshop that allows veterans to create paper artwork out of their pulped combat uniforms, is a unique medium of identity renegotiation for veterans. This essay analyzes how Combat Paper, as performance rhetoric, offers veterans a multilayered and open-ended script to enact and transform their complex relationships to the military and the war experiences they embody. The essay illuminates the tactical nature of the Combat Paper performance, highlighting the performance of metaphor and metonymy as rhetorical devices. Overall, the essay identifies three rhetorical functions of the Combat Paper performance, namely its transformative, critical, and community-building functions, and demonstrates how a performanceoriented approach can animate a rhetorical text and enrich rhetorical criticism.

Papermaking as an activity area at the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) was initially introduced to equip fine art students with the basic knowledge and skills required to produce their own handmade papers, primarily for printmaking techniques. This need was identified through the fact that quality art papers were only available on campus at an expense that aspiring students could not afford. As the Papermaking Research and Development Unit (PRDU) at TWR expanded, students were able to specialise in paper-based research that targets certain issues that impact on and in our immediate environment. One issue that took priority was to investigate the properties, use and production of archival handmade papers to service local artists and students. South Africa does not have an extensive indigenous history or tradition in hand papermaking. It is a relatively new medium with little literature available on the subject. Research has become necessary to understand the properties of this medium in order to explore its various possibilities. This investigation would be viable to the local marketand manufacturers of paper, as well as to those who utilise paper in their creative activities. The bulk of archival papers available on the South African market are currently manufactured overseas and are imported to our country. With importing costs and current exchange rates, this increases their price in the South African market. The research specifically aims at producing a local handmade equivalent to the imported product that will meet, or lower, the cost and increase the availability of the product to the local market. Handmade papers have many advantages to the artists that exceed mould-made papers, all of which are investigated in this research. The specific market had to be identified in order to streamline the research possibilities and improve product potential. This market was identified as papers for selected traditional printmaking techniques, such as silkscreening; intaglio and relief processes. The research thesis, once published, will provide a resource on the subject, with specific application to a local situation. It will enable papermakers to further understand the composition of their product, as well as expand on its use and application.