Room 014
'Terap
Ulang' can be
directly translated to
'repetitive
pressing', name of a foundry
just
a walk
away from the School of the Arts.
This
single storey atelier might seem
inconspicuous
to most passer-bys, or
even
frequent
dwellers, as the wall signage does
not
reveal more than
its name. But when
most
people failed to notice what this
place
is,
a group of enthusiasts who
knew their
ways
is here learning to make their worlds;
One of these printmaking buffs is
Josephine Puah.
Josephine is a student of Graphic
Communication, but
extended her Interests In Fine Arts. "I really like
printmaking," she said when asked
the reason of being
where she is now. In her final level of
mastering Seni
Cetak, Joseph ine beamed with
clear pride when she
talked about prints. It is difficult not
to be satisfied when
one with passion for printmaking gets
to learn in this
well-equipped ; properly maintained workshop. "It has to
be really clean when we print,"
she started, "So, as you
can see, this studio has been taken
better care compared
to others."
Indeed, regarded the best equipped
printmaking studio in
the region, Terap Ulang has been a renowned
and
communal getaway for artists and
students from different
backgrounds to ink. Students gain free, direct access to
the studio with simple conditions -
keep it ventilated, keep
clean, keep safe. Windows have to be wide opened before
printing takes place. Aprons and gloves
are available to
protect printmakers from noxious
chemicals and sharp
tools. "Printmaking takes time, very
repetitive and it
demands accuracy," Josephine
Introduced some of the
works hanging on the wall. "It's
even dangerous because
of the chemicals we Inhale, so maybe It isn't a very good
idea to linger here." She ended
with both of us laughing in
unison .
Some of the printmaking techniques may
consume not
just hours, but days, such as
stone lithography and
etching. It all depends on the
artist's demand. Some of
the other important techniques
included intaglio,
drypoint, monoprint, woodcut and
serigraphy. Different
techniques and to-be-inked materials
yield different
results. It's all up to the printmaker's
creativity.
Students of Terap Ulang acquire
skills In stages. Seni
Cetak 1 started off with
woodcut and linocut; Seni Cetak 2
moves to more challenging techniques
such as Intaglio
etching , drypoint and monoprint; Seni Cetak 3
gets to
make tonal prints using lithography,
and the famous
serigraphy, better known as silkscreening.
Under the
tutelage of Associate Professor A. Rahman bin
Mohamed, students of Seni Cetak 3
are currently going
through the chills and thrills
printmaking for their final
projects.
One of them is Jacob, who was making
measured
drawings for a printing press when I
was brought over by
Josephine to the place he work - Room
104. Jacob is a
familiar acquaintance. I met him
during my first years of
university in the Jazz Band . As a man of his age, his
courage of learning is certainly
applaudable. He is a
learner that does not seem to ever
rest on his laurels.
The printing press he was measuring
Just now? Turned
out it was designed and built by
himself for his final
project. Alongside with the other huge
Charles Brand
etching press in the room , this piece of
tabletop press -
anonymous yet - did not look a tiny
bit inferior. Fabricated
by Jacob himself, this press was made
of used metal
components that he could find
anywhere. On top of the
press hanged a little mock-up model
Jacob carpentered .
Jobs were done after numerous
experiments, and it is
now ready to be brought to it's inaugural printing.
"I want to sell It, but my wife won't,
.. he explained, "She
said its the only one."
We sipped on instant coffees and
talked
about printmaking, film photography
and
arts.
We even talked about architecture.
I get to know the future whereabouts
of
these passionate artists-in-the-making
.
And I arrived at a point to realise
that Terap
Ulang is not merely a foundry to make
prints, but more than that - It forges the
ember of passion in these fellow
printmakers.
 |
page layout, photography and illustration
by Teh Weng Jen for the Typography class project |
