When paper itself is still an art: Islamic World Hand Papermaking in Philly

Two centuries before the tweet imposed character limits on messages, people wrote succinctly to conserve paper, which was all made by hand.

It still is, in very limited situations, and the task is as laborious as ever. Plant material or fabric is gathered, ground up, and saturated to help it break down. The resulting wet pulp is smoothed between screens, pressed damp, and the sheets are hung up to dry. All paper was made this way until the 19th century, and production methods varied by culture. An Eastern tradition formed in Japan, China, and Korea, while a Western tradition arose in Europe. A third method, the lesser-known Islamic or Arab style, will be demonstrated in a May 22 workshop presented by the Soapbox, Philadelphia’s independent publishing center.

The beauty of Islamic-style paper

At the event, coming to Port Richmond papermaking studio paperTHINKtank, eight participants will produce paper in the Islamic style with guidance from expert papermaker Radha Pandey. A Master of Fine Arts graduate of the University of Iowa Center for the Book, Pandey will demonstrate techniques that yield paper with a distinctively smooth, glossy surface and vibrant color. Islamic papermaking uses flexible screens or moulds woven from grass, and adds nothing to the pulp to aid page formation. After sheets are dry, they are burnished with large stones. If color is desired, it is applied through dying or by brush. Because of its fine texture and coloring, Islamic paper is favored for calligraphy and painting.

It is fitting that handmade paper is primarily used for art, because the craft has become an art form in itself as practitioners have dwindled. According to Soapbox co-founder Mary Tasillo, its uses include handmade books and sculptural applications. It can also be “a substrate for drawing and printmaking, and creating works…using pigmented pulps applied to the freshly made sheet of paper. Fine handmade papers are also used in art and document conservation.”

The first American-made paper

Hosting an exploration of a craft so essential to expression is consistent with the mission of the Soapbox, and Philadelphia is the ideal setting. The first paper mill in the American colonies was built here in 1690, on what is now Lincoln Drive in Fairmount Park. The settlement, Rittenhouse Town, eventually became an industrial village of 40 structures, and was a papermaking center for the next century. At full capacity, three men could produce 1,000 sheets of paper in a day. Rittenhouse Town is now a National Historic Landmark District.

The Soapbox, a community print shop and zine library, was established in 2011 by Tasillo and Charlene Kwon to preserve the craft of handmade books and foster community voices and storytelling by providing resources, equipment, and instruction in printing, binding, and related self-publication arts.

Islamic World Hand Papermaking Workshop with Radha Pandey is coming up on Sunday May 22, 10am – 4pm at paperTHINKtank , 3240 Collins Street/Studios at The LOOM. Registration for the event is now full, but the Soapbox is accepting names for a waitlist.