Paper manipulation and 3D assemblage
Weekend-long practical course
16 March 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm17 March 2019 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£420. Includes all materials, lunch and a wine reception at the end of the first day.
Terms and conditions
In this exciting weekend-long course, led by award winning artist Sumi Perera RE, participants will be taught the properties and principles of paper, learning the diverse practical methods involved in manipulating paper to make three-dimensional models that can contract and expand.
Although the original forms of papermaking predate the Han Dynasty in China (202 BC–AD 220), Cai Lun, an imperial official from this period, is attributed as the inventor of the papermaking technique widely adopted by both Eastern and Western cultures. Originally made from mulberry bark and hemp rags mixed with water, the invention enabled the written word to be recorded, mass-produced and disseminated on a grand scale.
The techniques of papermaking spread first to the rest of the Eastern world. In Japan, Korea and India, paper’s convenience, as well as its durability and flexibility, meant that it rapidly became a multi-purpose material, used to make money, record prayers, create maps, disseminate news and even preserve the flavour of tea.
Papermaking reached Europe in 1085, with mills firmly established in parts of Italy and France soon afterwards. The transferal of woodcut prints from cloth to paper in Holland from around 1390 afforded artists and collectors the opportunity to view, handle and circulate these artworks in a more convenient manner, also making them easier to store and display.
Paper’s remarkable strength, despite its fragility, as well as its ability to be recycled, has meant that paper has become a popular medium in contemporary times for packaging and printmaking, and even within furniture and architectural design.
In this exciting two-day course, led by award-winning artist Sumi Perera, participants will explore the principles and properties of paper, learning how its features can be exploited and manipulated to create individual two-dimensional artworks as well as more complex three-dimensional structures.
About the course
This two-day intensive course will explore the principles and properties of paper. Participants will use a variety of methods, tools and techniques and learn paper casting, embossing and debossing. Participants will also learn alternative mark-making techniques, table-top printmaking skills and paper engineering methods to assemble and embellish their own three-dimensional structures.
Day one
• Understanding the properties of paper
• Demonstration of paper casting of surfaces and objects
• A presentation of table-top printmaking skills
Day two
• Making reversible paper structures
• Paper layering
• Devising a cohesive artwork – assemblage and presentation
Participants are advised to bring boxes (shoe box size) to transport their work home, as there are no storage facilities at the RA.
This course takes place in the Clore Learning Centre at the Royal Academy of Arts.
This course is suitable for all levels, from beginner to advanced. Prior experience of working with paper is not necessary, although an interest in the flexibility of paper and making objects from paper is recommended.
This course is for you if:
• You have some prior knowledge of drawing and/or printmaking, although this is not essential. This is an opportunity to learn quick and easy techniques for mark-making and structural thinking using paper
• You would like to develop your practice in a creative and supportive environment
• You would like to experiment with a range of techniques using paper
• You would like to develop your skills within a small group and make a site-specific work in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Academy’s new Clore Learning Centre
• You have no prior experience of working with paper, but have an interest in the history, theory and the practice of art-making more widely
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor.
£420
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 March 2018
10.30am – 5.30pm on both days
Includes:
• An introductory illustrated lecture, with particular reference to the artist's own work
• All specialist practical art materials
• Course learning materials and hand-outs
• Lunch and refreshments on both days
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Sumi Perera RE
Dr Sumi Perera is an interdisciplinary artist and academic who uses her background as a doctor and scientist to produce conceptual, often interactive artworks. Her installations are composed of multiple modules that require interaction and may be re-sequenced to produce various permutations.
Sumi obtained an MA in Book Arts from Camberwell College of Arts in 2004, and has taught on the MA Printmaking course at Middlesex University. She is a Senior Fellow and council member for the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.
Sumi has won numerous international awards and her work is in several international public collections, including Tate Britain, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, the Royal Collection, Ashmolean and The Yale Center for British Art.
She has held many international residencies where she often produces site-specific installations. A teaching residency at the Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, resulted in a twelve-venue touring international exhibition she curated titled 15 to 1. She was the first member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers to be awarded a Guest Artist Fellowship, a six-week residency and solo show at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.
Give this course as a gift
This course can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member. To arrange a gift voucher please contact Anna Pojer, Academic Programmes Manager, by calling 020 7300 5684 or emailing anna.pojer@royalacademy.org.uk