Hand is a director at The Letterpress Collective in Bristol, a not-for-profit organisation that teaches type composition and printing skills and works with a number of community art projects.
He has launched a Kickstarter project and aims to raise £8,000 to fund the new venture: ‘Journeyman. An adventure in print’.
His bespoke printing bike was designed by handmade bike specialist Robin Mather to carry an Adana 8x5 hand press, type, and all the necessary printing paraphernalia to allow Hand to produce postcards while on the road.
Hand said the Journeyman project was inspired by tradespeople such as knife grinders, who made a living cycling from town-to-town in the past. He plans to set off next month from Lands’ End, visiting towns along the way that are known for making one particular thing, such as gloves in Yeovil, saddles in Walsall, and weaving in the Hebrides.
“In celebration of each craft, I will print a set of cards on the Adana 8x5 press mounted on the back of the bicycle. Some cards will be posted and will arrive on funders' doorsteps printed and posted from such fine towns as St Ives, Yeovil, Cheddar, Walsall, Stoke-on-Trent, Northampton, Nottingham, Halifax, Harris and Dufftown,” he explained.
Hand also hopes to incorporate a stop-off in Otley, where Wharfedale and Arab presses were manufactured.
The entire journey is likely to take up to four weeks, cycling around 50 miles a day with some leeway for stop-offs. The total distance could be as much as 1,000 miles.
The postcards will be illustrated by a range of different artists, who will create unique illustrations to highlight each location’s notable craft.
Kickstarter pledges start at £5 and rise to over £250, with rewards encompassing postcards printed en route, two special books detailing the journey, and places on a letterpress workshop at The Letterpress Collective.
The Kickstarter funding will be used to cover the costs of the journey, the illustrations, and production of the book.
“The funds will not only enable this project to happen, but will also keep the presses (and our own apprentice Ellen) busy printing over the next few months,” Hand added.
Apprentice Ellen Bills began volunteering at The Letterpress Collective after studying graphic design at UWE Bristol, and then became an apprentice.
“She’s a natural printer and loves doing it. She absorbs information from the old printers who come to visit us,” Hand added
A large-format limited edition letterpress book will be produced upon the completion of the journey, with the book to be launched at the annual Festival of Print in Bristol, which will take place from 4-13 December.
Further details about the Journeyman Kickstarter project can be found here.
