Architecture and Adaptive Reuse Study Trip – Models in Madrid

As part of the MA Architecture and Adaptive Reuse study trip to Madrid in March 2024 the group were taken on a guided tour of two model heavy exhibitions: ‘The Construction of a Country: Models of Spanish Architecture from the Transition to Present Day’ & ‘Nameless Models’.

The exhibitions were both on display at a former metro station which has been converted into a multipurpose display space occupied by the La Casa de la Arquitectura.

The main ‘Construction of the County’ display was housed over two levels and presented a chronological look at the varied architectural projects across Spain over the last 30 years. Each case study was presented through a physical model alongside an image of the completed site. The choice to display in this way more often than not focusses on finished presentation standard models. This was not the case with the curation choices here which resulted in an excellent display of model typologies including the abstract conceptual, technical studies, section studies, massing, collage & both colourised and monotone presentation examples. The range of styles and media used reflect the diverse range of projects covered and the complex aims of the messages being communicated as part of the design processes and architect-client conversation.

The group were given a guided tour by Alberto Yebenes and a guide from the venue who explained the cultural and professional relevance of the projects.

If you are in Madrid any time soon this exhibition was recently extended to run until June.

The second exhibition, ‘Nameless Models’ questions the role models play in the so called ‘Digital Age’. The display features a range of model types and themes without context and was initially presented at the Biennale of Young Architecture in Catalonia. The concept was to ask viewers to comment of what each model told them about a building design without them being given any information about the intention beforehand. The findings were then discussed to reveal how rich the embodied information of physical models continues to be as the medium helps to bridge the digital with reality and our understanding of practical possibilities and limitations.

Speaking with Alberto, he explained more about the purpose of the exhibition and how students might be influenced by its contents.

“Casa de la arquitectura is a cultural landmark. It has just reopened following retro fit (Adaptive reuse) so students (like me at the time) can enjoy again a flexible exhibition space specific for architectural models, plans installations etc. The aim of the model exhibition was to showcase 50 years of architecture from the Spanish transition to democracy from the Franco dictatorship era, going through economical wealth and decay. Highlighting the different architectural and urban implications: Sustainability, social sustainability, detail etc

The models displayed reflected many different sorts of scales, levels of detail and urban street escape and materiality. These combined represent graphic 3dimensional communication opportunities and variety which is absolutely key for the representation of architecture at any level. For Adaptive reuse specifically, the materiality chosen, detail, sectional detail and urban aspects showcased a remarkable catalogue of opportunities to express relationships between new and old, absolutely critical for our course.

Because of the time in the semester (investigation) our course was, the story about the different historical, societal, cultural and economic periods in Spain reflected in the use, typologies and scale of the models, opened a very useful conversation with yourself (Scott Miller) as a translator between these theories and the final student models in B15.

I particularly liked the middle of the exhibition, because it aggregated the boundary between economic optimism and recession/ decay, which you could dramatically understand through the typologies and the isolation of the models, which were less considerate with the urban context. It had a space for the renewed and silenced relevance of female architects as well.

Nameless models was a side exhibition, also incredibly interesting, as the lack of labelling inspired visitors to guess and interprate the models, materials, and details with no additional information about authors or building.”

More information about the exhibitions and La Casa de la Arquitectura can be found on their social media channel @casadelaarquitectura and on their website here:

https://lacasadelaarquitectura.es/recurso/la-construccion-de-un-pais-maquetas-de/05b5b794-afea-1ba4-fbad-e29c47ba582f?modal=on

https://lacasadelaarquitectura.es/recurso/nameless-models/071e209f-ecd1-b46a-9c78-4cee3abe9411

Thank to the hosts at La Casa de la Arquitectura and to Alberto for his organisation and allowing me to join the visit.

APMM Book Discussion – Modelling the Metropolis: The Architectural Model in Victorian London

On Thursday 8th February at 18.00 Scott will be joining an online discussion hosted by the Association of Professional Modelmakers with Dr David Lund about Dr. Matthew Wells book, Modelling the Metropolis: The Architectural Model in Victorian London.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Register to join online here<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hope to see you there!

Participant Bios

Matthew Wells, Lecturer in Architectural History at University of Manchester, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the Manchester Architecture Research Group, and author of “Modelling the Metropolis. He studied art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art and completed his doctorate in the History of Design Programme at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Royal College of Art. Dr Matthew Wells – Manchester School of Architecture (msa.ac.uk)

Scott Miller is the Workshop Technical Manager of the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop at Manchester School of Architecture. Before taking up this position he worked as a freelance modelmaker on architectural, commercial and display models and in exhibition design and construction. Scott obtained a degree in Modelmaking in 2011 from the Arts University Bournemouth. Scott Miller – Manchester School of Architecture (msa.ac.uk)

David Lund, Modelmaking Historian and Senior Lecturer BA (Hons) Modelmaking & BA (Hons) Design at AUB, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Higher Education Academy, and author of “A History of Architectural Modelmaking in Britain: The Unseen Masters of Scale and Vision” David has a doctorate in the History of Architectural Model Making and is in charge of the cataloguing and interpretation of the Thorp Modelmaking Archive, a unique collection of over 60,000 photographs and documents charting the history of the oldest architectural modelmaking company in the world. Dr David Lund – AUB Staff Profile

 

B.15 Royal Albert Hall model added to the Hall’s new £1m Archive Collection


Back in 2021 a collaboration between B.15 and the V&A’s research institute aimed to recreate a long lost stage of Royal Albert Hall architectural history.

Dr. Simona Valeriani’s research into the history of the hall had paid particular attention to the role of models which led to the involvement of B.15 model making workshop.

The workshop made a significant unique contribution to the project that has helped researchers better understand the design process behind one of the UK’s most iconic buildings. Records of planning meetings that took place during the Hall’s development made mention of a model being used to inform design decisions. It was assumed this model was lost until 2019 when it was rediscovered in a heavily damaged state in a room at the Hall itself. Efforts were made to restore the piece and subsequently, a replica of the fragment was produced including it’s missing pieces to illustrate part of what might have been

B.15 team interpret the surviving material

B.15 staff took on the task of analysing the fragment in order to replicate the model in a more complete form as it might have appeared in the mid-1800s. This involved the comparison of reference images and original plans. The initial goal was to complete the replica in time for feature in the 2021 Building Centre Exhibition; Shaping Space – Architectural Models Revealed’ which was in part sponsored by the workshop.

Workshop Technical Manager Scott Miller and assistant Saul Parker-Backhouse began the task alongside Manchester School of Architecture students Ruben Greyson and Cezara Mișca to produce a faithful interpretation of the original in time for the exhibition opening.

Workshop Technician Scott Miller said: “It was a pleasure to collaborate on such a prestigious project and a truly insightful experience for me, Saul and our student assistants.

After the conclusion of the exhibition an agreement between the collaborators led to the models being accepted into the newly established Royal Albert Hall archive.

A new home in the hall’s first ever archive space

After years of development by archivist Liz Harper, the first dedicated archive to the hall’s 150 year history was officially opened on Thursday October 12th 2023. We were honoured to be invited to the opening event where the model was presented alongside the original and other items from the hall’s collection. Future plans for the model will see it displayed to the public in one of the hall’s main entrances.

The Making of the Royal Albert Hall Model – Documentary short

To coincide with the opening of the archive we’re pleased to share this documentary short which was produced alongside the project. Featuring narration from Dr Simona Valeriani and B.15 Technical Manager Scott Miller, the film was shot and edited by videographer Chris Jackson in 2022.

The RAH archive can be searched online and contacts to arrange to visit in person can be found here: https://catalogue.royalalberthall.com/ More information about the Architectural Models Network here: https://archmodelsnetwork.com

More information about Dr. Simona Valeriani: https://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/dr-simona-valeriani/  and the V&A Research Institute: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/the-va-research-institute-vari


Thank you to Dr. Simona Valeriani for inviting B.15 to take part in this project and to Liz Harper for ensuring the model found a permanent home in the RAH collections.

Announcing ‘MAKING SCALE – Model – Building – City’ a B.15 symposium at the Venice Architecture Biennale

We’re very pleased to announce we are returning to the Venice Architecture Biennale to fly the flag for architectural modelmaking this June.

MAKING SCALE, a B.15 symposium, will explore the value of physical models in the design process at urban and building scales. The interpretative use of materials as experimental representations can play a multitude of roles within the field of architectural design. To model junctions between building and site, built form and space, structure and enclosure, ensures that the act of making in the model workshop is an effective laboratory of future architecture. Speakers will present and discuss the conceptual potential of different scales to curate how the built environment is made and viewed in relation to innovative global practice.

Where?

The sessions event will take place at the 18th International Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition is held across multiple sites in Venice which host some 89 international participants.

When?

Thursday June 29th confirmed! Time and exact Biennale location TBC

Who?

Speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Keep checking here or on our social media channels for updates!

Can I join?

Yes we’d love to see you there! Tickets for to the MAKING SCALE symposium will include a 3-day pass to the Biennale across all sites for MSA students. Tickets will be issued in person in Venice the event date. We’re working to confirm this ASAP!

If you’re not an MSA student but wish to join you can, just get in touch and we’ll explain how. 

Sign up NOW!

If you are interested in joining us to experience the biggest architectural showcase of 2023 please get in touch via email and we’ll forward you further details to secure your ticket – lara.gerrard@manchester.ac.uk


Huge thanks to The University of Manchester School of Environment Education and Development Social Responsibility Fund and The University of Manchester Student Experience Funding for supporting the project.  

Book Launch: Modelling the Metropolis: The Architectural Model in Victorian London – Dr Matthew Wells Thursday 23rd March 17.30

We’re pleased to announce the book launch event for ‘Modelling the Metropolis: The Architectural Model in Victorian London’ by Dr. Matthew Wells.

Architectural models made nineteenth-century London. As the city grew it became the global centre of finance, industrial capitalism, and the British Empire. New buildings, urban spaces, and networks of infrastructure were demanded, constructed, and rebuilt. Models were a crucial medium of communication that enabled archi­tects, politicians, and the wider public to conceive the city’s expansion of buildings and spaces.

Based on extensive research in archives, museums, and period publications, Modelling the Metropolis addresses not just architectural models but also an eclectic range of images and objects – from technical products to sculptures, diagrams to engravings, maps to photographs – that dramatize the politics and aesthetics of Victorian London. 

Dr. Wells is a member of the Manchester Architectural Research Group here at MSA.The event will comprise of a summary of the new book followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Wells.

Agenda:

17.30 – Lecture in Room G33 Humanities Bridgeford Street

18.15 – Q&A

To attend please register via eventbrite by clicking here! 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Remembering Peter Howcroft and John Bishop

I was first introduced to John and Peter as part of our 45th anniversary project back in 2014/15. John had been contacted as he had fond memories of the early days of B.15 being set up and the important hub of social and design activity that it has become known for within the school. John was able to track down Peter who had been a regular visitor and part time assistant to the workshops first manager, Ken Peacock.

Peter was a true craftsman with a passion for making at all scales. He was the son of Thomas Howcroft who had also worked as a lecturer at the University of Manchester. By the time I met Peter he had suffered from ill health for some years but was absolutely full of life when it came to making things and working with his hands. He reflected about his upbringing, influences and passion for making in this video interview by Tony Sutton.

John was extremely supportive of the then new joint agreement and helped establish the early workings of MSA in the mid to late 90’s. Principal Lecturer Eamonn Canniffe recalled “John taught many students at Manchester in the 70s 80s and 90s and was ahead of his time in his interest in making, the relationship between art & architecture and the widening of access to education in architecture and the built environment”.

We interviewed them both for our 45th anniversary celebrations which was highly amusing and insightful. Since that time both John and Peter have stayed in touch with the workshop but in the chaos of the pandemic we had not heard from them for some time.

Sadly we learned that Peter had passed away in January this year and just last month that John had also passed. The were huge advocates of the importance of modelmaking in architectural education and we’d like to acknowledge their lives with this extended version of our joint interview that took place back in 2014.

Rest in Peace

Scott, Saul & Jim

 

A visit to la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito – Patricia Belcin

During December 2019 I visited la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo (the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism) part of Universidad Central del Ecuador, in the country’s capital, Quito. At 2980m altitude, the beautifully designed brutalist building of the faculty felt like a hidden gem among the other buildings from the university campus, the semi-circular repetitive roof structures transmitted an equilibrium very fitting for a place dedicate to design and architectural education.

While talking to a first year architecture student I understood that in the early stages a big emphasis is put on developing hand drawing skills and the designs are tested through simple hand crafted models. I was impressed of the amount of models the students were producing, and how they were finding enough time to invest in this as the course content was broader than what I had experienced during my Part 1 in the UK.

The main reasons for this were the materials and methods being used. After observing only a few models I noticed that balsa wood is everyone’s favourite material. This soft fibre wood allowed the students to quickly craft sketch models, quick prototypes and many times it was used even for the final presentation models. The ease with which this material can be manipulated allowed the students to recreate the workshop environment in their homes and with only a scalpel and some glue they were constructing a wide variety of models. Sometimes for the final exhibition models the faculty’s laser cutter was used for achieving more precise cuts on fine details.

It’s no accident that balsa is used so extensively as it is a locally grown material which is widely available at a very low price (I noted it was approximately 10% of the price at which we purchase balsa in the UK). Balsa is a native species to Ecuador and the country is the world’s leader in balsa production, with over 90% of the wood being exported all over the world. Because of the county’s altitude, climate and environment, the balsa from the Ecuadorian forests is privileged as it offers a more stable wood in terms of density. Balsa is not an endangered species due to its fast growth and facility of reproduction.

(Information about balsa production: www.euronewsa.com/balsa.html)

This made me reflect upon how we sourced materials during the projects which I undertook at MSA. Few projects asked us to consider the usage of local materials, and when we do consider it, this is mostly seen as a constraint. However, not very often do the students question from their own initiative the provenience of the materials which they use, especially in a world where everything is available at a few clicks away. From my observations gathered whilst visiting the architecture school in Quito, I noticed that the use of local materials is widening the possibilities in terms of modelmaking and construction. By using these materials so often the students developed skills which allowed them to create a wide variety of models by understanding the different properties of the wood.

While visiting an exhibition with projects from the masters of architecture course I noticed several models which used plaster or plywood, therefore being more developed in terms of material complexity, but the combination with the balsa wood was omnipresent. In the project from the below images, the student used a series of volumetric plaster models which were combined with red painted key elements of the design. The red colour was then used in the sectional model of the final design and within the architectural drawings as a highlighting method.

Apart from testing design concepts through models I noticed the importance of the technical side within their architecture degree. An application through modelmaking was the project visible in the images from below, where groups of students tested different types of joints which could be used in creating a geometrical sphere. Several methods of joining the wooden pieces were tested, including connections that used sections of recycled plastic pipes or tubes, as well as using bespoke metal fixings which were screwed into the wood. Regardless of the complexity, these constructions were built with only using basic tools and local materials.

Being exposed to the modelmaking culture of the architecture school in Quito was a good lesson about the importance of valuing local practices and materials and making the most of what resources  you have to hand. Perhaps the ease with which we can access materials produced all over the world here in the UK makes us, unintentionally, a bit ignorant of the energy and effort it takes to produce them. As a result the profession is quite wasteful. It would be an interesting project set out to find the local equivalent of the balsa wood source in Ecuador right here and incorporate it into our models. This would be both convenient and more sustainable, helping to reduce our carbon footprint as we progress through architecture school.


This article was written by Patricia Belcin, Teaching Assistant at B.15 Modelmaking workshop 2019/20. 

Exhibition: ‘Sun, Sea and Modelmaking – Atelier La Juntana 2019’ November 18th-29th

We’re pleased to announce the second event in conjunction with our 50th Anniversary celebrations:

An exhibition of student work from the third MSA exclusive week with Atelier La Juntana which took place in July 2019. The exhibition has been curated by Saul Parker-Backhouse at B.15 Modelmaking workshop and will present the full range of craft outputs from the week-long course along with video and process descriptions.

Launch Presentation Evening – Thursday November 28th from 18.00

Join us for a presentation by ALJ course organiser Armor Gutierrez Rivas who will be presenting the course and discussing how MSA students can take part in next years course.

The exhibition will take place in the foyer of Humanities Bridgeford Street Building between November 18th and 29th and both the presentation evening and exhibition are free to attend.

Modelmaking above Alexanderplatz – Peter Lee at HENN Architects, Berlin

Earlier this summer I visited MSA Graduate Peter Lee at HENN Architects Berlin Office. Located overlooking Alexanderplatz, HENN is an international architecture office with additional offices in Munich and Beijing. They have a wide-ranging experience in work space, culture, health, education and research as well as production and master planning. It’s a great pleasure to see graduates take their modelmaking skills into practice. Where possible I always try to take the opportunities to learn just how these skills are used in their work and this has been one such occasion. Peter has been kind enough to discuss his experience over the last 3 years in practice since graduating from MSA.


After graduating from my masters in 2016 I wanted a bit of a change from Manchester so started applying for jobs in cities that I wanted to live in, mostly abroad, and HENN was the first place that got back to me. The job description was particularly interesting in that it was a mostly model making role within the design / competition team, which suited my skill set pretty well.

On a day to day basis I produce a lot of sketch models, mostly for internal use which really helps with making design decisions. Because of the fast pace of competitions (they generally last a month or two), people are often jumping between projects. Having a model in front of you is a much easier way of understanding site conditions, massings and contextual relationships than working purely with software because it has this tangible quality. 

The workshop has a laser cutter, spray booth, hot wire cutters, disc sander, sandblasting cabinet and Ultimaker S5 3D Printer. Mostly we work with foam, card and acrylic – occasionally we get things outsourced or made in the HENN Munich office, which has more machines available for woodwork.

In terms of setup it’s a lot more restricted than what the students have access to at B.15 which is mainly due to spatial constraints. The office is located in a 70s East Berlin tower and there isn’t enough space for more equipment -however, it’s more than sufficient for producing competition / presentation models. It also serves a different purpose as a workshop for a commercial practice – B.15 is more about giving students the opportunity to learn and therefore supports a wider variety of techniques and materials that aren’t necessarily appropriate or efficient for me to use.

Most of my time is spent on massing and context models but it really depends on what is important to the project – it could also be façade models, mock-ups of internal spaces, more conceptual pieces etc.

Around two years ago I produced a sketch model for an office tower competition in Hamburg which we went on to win. The massing was derived by cutting out foam slabs and arranging them to generate a stepping double height void moving up the lower part of the building. When placed in the context model and compared with other designs it was clear that it was the right way forward – while it was more conservative than some options it fulfilled all the masterplan requirements while retaining an interesting spatial logic.

The competition was also a different format from usual in that we had a lot of contact with the client / developer during the design process. People always love it when you turn up with a model, especially if it’s not required – in this case we brought a lot of sketch models which gave an insight into the design process that the client wouldn’t normally see. It’s also more interesting to have something more tactile in front of you instead of being sat in front of slides and slides of presentation, which definitely worked in our favour.

Leading practices at the moment like Morris and Co, Carmody Groarke are really pushing the use of models as an important design tool and it would be good to see that trickle down into the majority of practices. I have had two architectural jobs before this one – the only time models were around was for presentations and they were always built by a specialist model maker. Software is all well and good but I feel you can always make better design decisions if you have a physical representation in front of you.

If I could change anything about my work on a personal level it would be to be a bit more poetic with my model making through abstract / conceptual models and material explorations – most of what I do at the moment is pretty representational. Having said that, I really enjoy my job here. It can be long hours from time to time but it often feels like an extension of architecture school due to the quick nature of competitions and room to experiment. It’s also good to see models being used as a design tool and being able to use my skills to collaborate with other specialists, such as computational designers.


Thank you to HENN for allowing us to share this insight and to Peter for his thoughts, time and continued enthusiasm towards the work we do here in B.15.

– Scott

Peter at work in on his MArch final major project B.15 Workshop in May 2016

Atelier La Juntana 2019 Diary – Saul Parker-Backhouse

Not long after starting my role here I was asked if I would attend this years modelmaking summer school with a group of MSA students. I was very happy to accept and experience the course first hand having heard about it from previous students and my colleagues here at B.15. As part of the trip I noted our daily tasks for others to gain insight into the experience which are recounted here.

First process of day one- Ceramics

On our first morning in Liencres we were introduced to Armor, Nertos, Daniel, Yerba the dog and the rest of our class for the week. We were then taken on a tour of the workshop and site. Armor then gave a short lecture which showcased some of the workshop produce, explaining a little about the reasoning for the course and its future applications.

To begin, a short demonstration was given in which we were shown how to create a master tile with which the aim was to create a number of copies. We were given a number of different materials to work with, with the one exception being that the tile be made to the shape of a pre-cut template. The outcome of this would be a mosaic created from the whole group’s tiles, as we were all encouraged to choose a different shape. We began to work on our designs using Rollers, Clay thickness forms, Carving tools, Sponges and Clay smoothing tools.

Creating the plaster mould

Once we were happy with our master tile we were instructed to stick them down to an MDF base using a small amount of clay, ensuring the base of the tile was very flat to the MDF plate. A sectional wooden box was then placed around the tile, which we then sealed with clay ensuring it was water tight. Daniel then took each of our boxes outside where he submerged the tile with liquid plaster, leaving them to dry in the Spanish sunshine.

After a delicious international lunch (very nice) and a mug of Vermut we returned to our mouldings in which the plaster had now cured. We deconstructed the wooden boxes and removed the plaster block containing our master tile, carefully removing the form from the underside and eventually revealing the negative in the base of the block.

Using dry sponges we carefully cleaned the plaster negative, then chamfering the edges of the plaster block to reduce the chance of breakages.

Making multiple tiles

Another short demonstration was then given, again by Master Daniel, on how to press clay into our plaster blocks to create copies of our original tile. This involved pressing clay of various colour (terracotta, black and white) into our negatives using hammers and short blunt posts, a little like truncheons. It was important to ensure that clay reaches every part of the mould, as this would guarantee a complete tile was removed.

The excess clay was then skimmed from the base of the mould using a wire and any imperfections in the base of the tile were then corrected. The tile was then coaxed from the mould with a mallet and laid onto an MDF board. We repeated this process as many times as we could within the time limit and laid all of our tiles on the wall outside to begin drying, turning them every 30-40 minutes to prevent bowing .

Time for the beach!

Day two in the workshop – Creating a tower

As with the previous morning, we were given a short lecture outlining the days’ tasks, today’s being to create a master tower from wood with the aim of casting multiple copies (similar to yesterday’s task in some aspects). The lecture contained images of previous towers, some ideas that may work well and others that may not. Armor then explained the limitations of each casting materiel and their possible uses in future application.

Going into the workshop we were each given a block of wood from which to work with. This was either a dowel of 50x1000mm or a rectangular block of 400x450x1000mm. We had access to a number of different pieces of equipment with which to create our wooden forms, some of these were: Bandsaw, Disk sander, Angle grinder, Lathe, Hand held woodworking tools and a Laser cutter.

Using these tools we set about creating our forms within the remit of the brief. An instruction was given to sand the pieces to a standard high enough that there would be as little texture imprinted on the inside of the silicone mould, also reducing the need for further sanding of the reproductions.

The final step before lunch was to coat the forms in a release agent, in this case we used Vaseline.

Pouring a silicone mould

The first task of the afternoon was fixing our towers to an MDF base using a screw. Similarly to yesterday, we placed a sectional wooden box around the tower and sealed at the base with clay. The towers were then submerged in silicone and the moulds agitated to remove any air that may have been trapped during the pouring process.  It is important not to over agitate the mould as this will cause horrendous haemophilia like leaks, as I unfortunately found out. We then left our moulds to cure for approximately 24 hours.

Back to the tiles

Having sat in the sun for the best part of a day, the tiles were now dry enough to work into. We used a selection of different carving tools to remove excess material from the underside of our tiles, with the intention that they would dry evenly and quickly with a more consistent thickness.

Next came the task of finishing the tiles. Using a mixture of fine abrasive sponges, steel wool and sand paper, we began smoothing the surface of the tiles, aiming for a level of consistency. Returning them to the wall for a final drying, we now placed the tiles with their bases facing upward, again with the intention of even drying.

Time for the beach again!

Day three in the workshop – Etching and de-moulding

Now familiar with the daily learning routine, we started the morning with another presentation. This particular morning’s was a little longer than the previous, due to the amount of explanation needed. Today’s exercise was to prepare two zinc plates, with which the aim was to create two styles of etchings. One of these being a Photo-etch and the other being a Hard-ground etch.

To prepare both of our plates we first began by sanding the surface to a matte, but not scratched finish. It is important to ensure that the whole of the surface has been sanded, as this will enable the additive being applied to the face to adhere properly.

The grits of the sand paper we worked through were as follows: 400,800 and then 1200 grit, keeping the plate wet at all times.

Hard-ground etching plate

The plate being used for the hard ground etching was then cleaned, backed with alcohol based dye and left to dry. Once dry, each of us took our hard ground plates to a table where we were instructed to coat the opposite face in a solution made from a concoction chemicals, notably turpentine, bees wax and gum rosin. (Highly flammable so take care)

Once this coating was applied, it was then set alight by Daniel using a blow torch. When the flames had subsided and the plates were cool enough to handle, we were encouraged to begin sketching some ideas that we could possibly use in our etching.

Photo-etching plate

We returned to our remaining sanded face of zinc, but this time applied a small amount of polishing compound which we worked into the surface using a cloth. Having suitably buffed, we then gave the plates a final rinse and dry.

The plates were now backed like the previous, however this time with brown tape and then we prepared to apply the photo sensitive emulsion to the reverse side. This application was performed in a dark room using a rubber paint roller, ensuring even coverage over the plate. The plates were then dried using a heat gun.

De-moulding of the towers

With the silicone surrounding our towers now finally cured and mine no longer leaking everywhere, we were instructed to begin the de-moulding process.

Beginning by removing the clay from the base of the segmented boxes, we then removed any pieces of excess silicone that may have leaked from the base (a lot of this in my case). This was followed by the removal of the box. A small screw was then inserted into the area of the tower that was protruding from the silicone, depending on the complexity of the form. This meant a pair of grips were able to be used to grip the screw and assist in removing the tower from the mould.

With the towers removed, we each cleaned the inside of our moulds ready for the first casting exercise using epoxy resin. There were choices between either solid colours of resin, or to add a small amount of alcohol based dye to create a sort of bleeding effect of colour through a clear cast.

The resin was mixed outside and each of us chose our preferred effect, the liquid epoxy was then poured and the same agitation process was applied to remove any lingering air pockets.

Day four in the workshop – Etching and casting continued

This particular morning’s lecture outlined a couple of things. First, we were informed of a task for later in the week in which we would be designing a screen for printing T-shirts. The process is ultimately the same as that of the photo-etching, with the difference being that instead of using a zinc plate a silk screen is used. These designs were to be created in teams of four or three.

Secondly, we were informed of how we were to develop and eventually acid etch our zinc plates. This was a fairly complicated process and involved using a number of potentially harmful chemicals, thus we all had to listen carefully to our instructions.

Photo-etching

To begin the mornings work, we took our now fully hardened photo etching plates and laid them over a piece of acetate. These pieces of acetate were printed with an individual section of the Nolli map of Barcelona, the goal of this being that each of us would have a different section of the map and that a collective print could be later made.

This zinc acetate sandwich was then placed into a machine which I can only describe as a mixture between a vacuum former and a sunbed. The purpose of this machine was to remove any air between the acetate and the zinc, whilst also applying a dose of UV light through the remaining clear areas on the film. This would mean that the areas exposed to the light would be photo developed and that everything starved of light would not.

Our plates were exposed to the light for 3 minutes, at which point we removed them from the sunbed vacuum machine and peeled away the acetate.

We now ran from the dark room with extreme haste into the workshop, where upon arrival we placed our plates into chemical baths for around a minute and a half. A soft brush was then used by each of us to remove photo emulsion that had not been exposed to the light. Our plates were then rinsed and left to dry in the sun.

Jesmonite casting

Our resin casts we poured the day previous were now dry enough to remove from our silicone moulds and so the task now came to de-mould them, all of the results coming out brilliantly.

This meant our moulds were now free to cast some Jesmonite with the option of adding additional pigments. The process for this was to mix the two components of the Jesmonite and whilst being conscious of time add the desired acrylic pigment. Mixing this pigment in such a way would mean a marbled effect would be achieved and as with all the previous, agitate.

Back to Photo-etching

As our photo etching plates were now suitably sun dried, it was time to place them into a bath of Nitric acid in order to etch away the areas of zinc that were now exposed.

The plates were left in the acid for a total of 30 minutes, brushing the surface every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent the build-up of zinc dust from slowing the reaction. If the reaction was slow to begin, as was mine, this was because of a very thin layer of photo emulsion still remaining in the exposed areas. To remove this, we were instructed to take a small amount of ammonia on a paper towel and scrub lightly, making sure to do this outside or with a respirator to avoid any inhalation of the fumes.

With the ammonia having done its trick, we were able to return the plates to the acid bath and once happy with the depth of the etch, we removed them from the bath and rinsed. Now the only thing remaining on the plate should be the cured areas of photo emulsion, which we then removed by plunging into a bath of caustic soda and water. The plates were now good to go and were rinsed and left to dry for a final time.

Back to the hard ground etching

With each of us having finished scratching our designs into our hard ground plates, it was now time to acid etch these as well. This process was very similar to that of the photo etching, with the difference being the time left in the acid. We set our timers for 7 minutes and submerged the plates in to the baths, lifting the plate from the acid and then returning it at 1 minute intervals, the purpose of this being to clean the plate of residue without making physical contact.

Once the time was up, we were each instructed to remove the plates from the acid and take them to Senor Daniel, who would inspect the plate and then inform you as to whether the plate would need uno, dos, tres or quatro minutes more in the bath.

With each of us having acid etched our hard ground plates, it was now time to remove the remaining black waxy coating which covered the surface. This was achieved by cleaning it with a petrol soaked cloth, cleaning this plate thoroughly was extremely important as any residual wax would mean the print could be affected. This again was left in the sun to dry, importantly not near a naked flame.

Final task of the day

Our final task of day four was to begin sanding our newly un-moulded resin casts. Using sandpaper of grits 400,800 and 1200, we began removing any imperfections on the surface of our towers.

Day five in the workshop – Printing from our etchings

On day five we went straight into it with a demonstration on how to print from our newly etched plates. Before proceeding with the tasks Daniel had laid out four different examples of glazes on one of the tables in the workshop, we then placed our tiles next to the finish we liked best. He would later cover our bare tiles with our chosen galze ready for firing and we’d see the results the following day. We also selected one of our newly bisque fired tiles, with the intention of picking the flattest of our creations for an aluminium cast, also the following day.

Each of us began by ensuring our plates were dirt and dust free, then taking a small amount of printing ink which had been thinned with a fat based softener we began working the ink into our plates.

Daniel informed us that the cloth we were using to work the ink into our plates was a piece of loosely woven hessian, perfect for applying the ink and then removing the excess, which we then did until around 90% of the ink had been removed from the surface. We were also told that the amount of ink you leave on the plate during the removal process determines how dark or light your print will be.

With the plates now inked, the paper had to be prepared. This meant soaking the linen based parchment in a water bath for approximately 3 minutes prior to printing. With the paper soaked and the excess water removed, we were able to place our etching plate on the roller press (in the correct orientation), cover with paper and roll away! Our new prints were then peeled carefully from the etching plate and hung to dry. This process was repeated with our photo etching plates and then again as a group print for the map of Barcelona, however this was on a much larger scale requiring a larger roller press and great deal of thought to ensure all the plates were laid out in the correct orientation.

To end the day, we each removed our Jesmonite towers from our moulds and poured an additional cast with rapid setting concrete.

Day six in the workshop – Aluminium casting, tower polishing and screen print design

We began day by using our flat bottomed tile to commence making an aluminium version.

Firstly, we placed or tiles on a very flat surface and arranged them within a wooden box in such a way that left a gap of at least 20mm between. We then took a small amount of foundry sand and began sieving it over our tiles, taking care not to move them or the box. Once the tiles were covered in an even layer of fine sand, we were told to compress it around the forms until an even skin was achieved. Having done this, we were able to continue adding shovels of sand into the box, compacting extremely well with each layer. When the rim of the box was reached, we were given a straight edged piece of timber with which to scrape away the excess and ensure the surface was level.

This initial box was then very carefully placed to one side and a new empty box was again placed onto the flat surface. Within this box we were instructed to position two tapered wooden sticks called spurs, which were to be positioned 20mm from the first and last tile which we had arranged in the previous box. In other words, they were placed in such a way that the aluminium would reach every part of the tiles on its journey from the crucible, down the first spur hole and ultimately out the exit spur hole.

Once these dowels had been positioned, we were able to repeat the sand compacting process until this box was also full and levelled. The wooden spurs and the tiles from the previous box were now removed and any damage left in the mould was now repaired.

Now with extreme care, we positioned the first sand box on top of the second, ensuring the correct orientation.

It was then explained to us that you can use pretty much any metal to cast into these foundry sand moulds, providing its melting point is lower than that of the sand.

When the metal had eventually melted, and the raging inferno had subsided, Armor and Nertos began pouring the molten metal into our moulds. Having cooled for around 15 minutes, we were told the tiles could now be removed from the sand, importantly wearing a pair of gloves as the temperature of the aluminium was still over 500 degrees. We then picked up the tiles with a pair of grips and plunged into a bucket of cold water until cool enough to handle.

Our aluminium tiles were now ready to have their surfaces finished which was achieved by using a combination of grinders and wire wheels, this removed any imperfections from their surface and gave them a high level of sheen.

Tower polishing

With the metal casting completed, the time had now come to finish polishing our resin towers to a translucent finish. To do this, we were instructed to wet the resin and then

proceed to sand the towers with increasing grits until an overall consistent finish was achieved, then finally buffing the resin to a gloss finish using a polishing mop and compound. It was essential that our towers remained wet throughout this process.

Further to this process we rinsed, dried and then applied a layer of oil to the tower’s surface.

The rest of the day was spent arranging our previous day’s work into an exhibition during which Armor and Nertos quizzed the group on their designs and production process.

We ended the day with a dinner in Liencres – Very nice.

Final day in the workshop Screen printing and awards

The final morning started with us starting to pack away the work we had set up for the exhibition and photographing the finished pieces. The completed pieces photographed particularly well in the sunshine!

At the same time, with each of the groups having finished their screen printing designs, we were talked through the process by Nertos. As explained earlier, the process was extremely similar to that of the photo etching. However, our designs which had now been printed on tracing paper were now laminated against a silk screen which had been coated in photo emulsion, as opposed to a zinc plate with the etching. The screens were now placed back into Daniels tanning machine and after 2 minutes they were ready for removal.  We were now instructed to quickly take them to the bathroom, which now with the addition of a red lightbulb had become the bathroom-darkroom. In this newly purposed space we were handed a water jet, with which we were instructed to blast the screen and remove any of the photo emulsion which had not been cured by the sunbed-vacuum.

Our screens once dry were now ready for printing. This meant laying them onto a flat piece of textile (in my case a t-shirt), ensuring that it was in the correct position and forcing a layer of ink through the newly created gaps in the screen using a squeegee. We were now able to remove the screens and hang our designs up to dry, this marked the final process of the week.

After this, we were each presented with a certificate outlining our participation in the week’s course and thanking us for our involvement.

Lastly, before saying our goodbyes we had a group Polaroid photo with Yerba the dog.

Experience Summary

I felt that I was very welcome during the course; Armor, Nertos and Daniel were excellent hosts. They were very good at encouraging you to explore your design ideas, questioning you along the way. They also informed us when they felt your design may be a little ambitious, impractical or may not work, this was very useful to people who had little experience before joining the course. The course was well structured to an extent. For example, drying times of certain processes were considered and therefore laid out on staggered days to ensure no process was missed out. I also felt the choice of processes were very usable for the students when they return to the university. This is with the exception of the screen printing, however I still felt this was a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable exercise.

The location of the course was also a big plus point. All three of the tutors were clearly very experienced in what they were teaching as it was not very often that the students were left wondering what to do next after a demonstration. We were all often encouraged to join Armor and Nertos in activities after the day’s work had finished, which was very nice.

Students who took part were: Maryam Ajoor, Erin Edmondson, Bubusara Abekova, Alice Weng Sam Lu, Chada Elalami, Zakia Ahmed, Hani Namirra Nasir, Alice Vetrugno , Tara Aveyard, Enrica Agus Klümper, Irina Corăga and Mylan Thuróczy.

Course organisers:

Armor Gutierrez Rivas, Nertos Gutierrez Rivas, Daniel Gutierrez Adán

Saul Parker-Backhouse, August 2019


Apply here for more information about the 2020 MSA exclusive week:

atelierlajuntana@gmail.com

More information about the course can be found on the ALJ website here: http://www.atelierlajuntana.com/SummerWorkshop.html