Stupendous Steamroller Printing Event
30 Oct 11
The Stupendous Steamroller Printing Event was a unique chance for people of all ages to see and take part in one of the biggest steam-powered printing projects ever. Dreamed up by the organisers of International Print Biennale, the event on Newcastle’s Quayside (near the Sunday Market at the Tyne Bridge) on Sunday 30 October from 11am-2pm took printing out of the studio and onto the streets, quite literally!
Star of the show was antique steamroller Coquet Lass, who rolled her way majestically over a specially commissioned linocut which had been created by artists and children at Northern Print in Ouseburn, the little gallery/studio with big ideas that launched International Print Biennale in 2009. Some of the 46 international printmaking artists taking part in the Biennale Print Awards 2011 also contributed to the design, which is an aerial view of the Tyne River and it's surroundings.
Visitors to the Stupendous Steamroller Printing Event got the chance to take part in the creation of three gigantic prints by helping to spread ink on the linocut and cheer on Coquet Lass as she made her remarkably arty journey along the quayside.
Anna Wilkinson, International Print Biennale Director says:
“This event is all about exciting the imagination of people who don’t normally engage with print. We’re hoping that by capturing their attention with this fun event, they will be inspired to visit one or more of the International Print Biennale exhibitions and events.
We also wanted to show that printmaking doesn’t have to be small or constrained by equipment or materials. For people who enjoy this larger than life event, I recommend a visit to Laing Art Gallery to see the massive 20 foot high linocut work by Japanese printmaker Katsutoshi Yuatsa. Jenny Price also burst through the constraints of tradition by using a car’s skin as her print medium, and the fascinating result can be seen at Hatton Gallery until 19 November.”
View the test run of Coquet Lass printing a linocut to get a flavor of the spectacle
View a film of the actual BIG event on Newcastle Quayside - filmed by Steve Dales
View some pics of the BIG event
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