Three Trade Epitaphs

    Research output: Non-textual formArtefact

    Abstract

    ‘Three Trade Epitaphs’ was Christopher Wakeling's fourth annual contribution to the special edition. This piece is hand-set and printed in 10 point Univers 55 along with progressive sizes of Monotype Placard types. The printings are in black, white, red, blue and grey inks on Zerkall mould-made paper. It consists of three loose sheets printed one side, inserted into a red cover folder printed with white woodletter (Three | Trade | EPITAPHS). Finished size: 48 picas by 50 picas. Each epitaph is an ode to a former printing trade craftsman: Letterfounder, Compositor and Pressman. The short verses are extracted from The Trade, privately published in 1943 to ‘beneft the funds of the Printers’ Pension, Almshouse and Orphan Asylum Corporation’. Each is a personal typographical experiment exploring the relationship between the printed text and the ‘white’, non-printed space of the optical square format. All punctuation was removed from the original verses so that variable word space, together with line and page arrangement could be explored as a means of enhancing or re-enforcing the textural meaning and its grammatical sense. The natural rhythmical pattern of each ode forms the root for the linear vertical arrangement of the texts. Loose inserted with a small imprint card printed in red and black announcing its inclusion for ‘Parenthesis’ subscribers.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

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