Artifact: Under Pressure
Fall 2016
Lurking in the corner at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 printmaking studio is a hulking hydraulic press that seems more at home in a gritty factory. In fact, it could easily be mistaken for a sculpture among the fine art that adorns the austere, white-walled workspace. But the industrial machine is an important 麻豆精品 S� and highly sought-after 麻豆精品 S� tool for the rotating roster of international artists who come to the collaborative research workshop in downtown Orlando.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 really been an asset that adds to the capabilities of the studio because it can be used to make complex relief prints, 麻豆精品 S� says Theo Lotz, director of Flying Horse Editions, a nonprofit publisher of limited-edition prints, books and objects by renowned artists. 麻豆精品 S淎s a research center, we want to expand the creative possibilities for our visiting artists, and they always seem to find some new way of using it. 麻豆精品 S�
Here’s what makes the press special:
PRECISE POWER
Traditional presses, which use a traveling bed to apply a single color of ink, can be difficult to control and can create a blurry image with some kinds of printing processes. This press applies pressure straight down, enabling a more precise print with several blocks in multiple colors. 麻豆精品 S淚t can be a very fast and liberating way for an artist to work, 麻豆精品 S� Lotz says.
CRUSHING IT
The press uses a 90-gallon hydraulic system to create up to 300 tons of force through a single massive plunger. Lotz found the machine through a heavy machinery sales broker in Los Angeles. 麻豆精品 S淚t must have turned heads on the back of the flatbed truck on I-10, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭hen two huge forklifts picked it up off the truck and brought it into the studio. It was an amazing dance of heavy machinery. 麻豆精品 S�
CUSTOM CONTROLS聽
Because the fine art printing process requires greater fine-tuning than the machine was originally designed for, Siemens offered to 麻豆精品 S渢rick out 麻豆精品 S� the controls and donated a sophisticated electronic system valued at around $15,000. 麻豆精品 S淲e can set it so precisely now that we can print something onto an egg, 麻豆精品 S� Lotz says.
LOW-TECH SOLUTIONS聽
The high-tech control system still employs a few key analog components, including an old-school pressure gauge and a measurement device that uses a delicate wire to help set the distance between the press and the paper. 麻豆精品 S淭his hydraulic press is really a very simple machine, 麻豆精品 S� Lotz says. 麻豆精品 S淚 was told that it was used to make metal light fixtures. 麻豆精品 S�
CREATIVE OPTIONS聽
Artists typically use a woodcut, which can be created by hand or with a laser cutter, to hold the ink to create a print. However, some artists have been inspired by the machine 麻豆精品 S檚 crushing capabilities and are using nontraditional materials, including Rolex watches. 麻豆精品 S淪ince this isn 麻豆精品 S檛 a familiar piece of art-making equipment, artists are intrigued with what they can do with it, 麻豆精品 S� Lotz says.