The Return of The Collaborator
Science Correspondent/Collaborator David Allen was back in UK last week to continue our work on what we have come to refer to as “Dave and Sarah’s Amazing Project.” Dave is a visiting Biology professor at Middlebury College and, coincidentally enough, my cousin. We went to college together, we go to family reunions together, and now, as you do, we are embarking on a book about population data, creating vaguely human-shaped figures out of paired population pyramids. Look how excited Dave is above! And that print wasn’t even finished yet.
Our plan for the week was three-pronged:
Prong #1: Finalize the design of the book and make a mockup
Prong #2: Write up a budget and plan a kickstarter campaign to raise
money for our materials
Prong #3: Produce prints or other possible rewards for donors to
aforementioned kickstarter campaign
In seven short days we went from rough, paper cutouts:
to tiny mockups in pubs:
to science on dining room tables:
to the press:
and, finally, to a pile of printed work. Kaboom.
Due to our unflagging work ethic except for when we wanted a beer, we managed to finish three prints and a mockup and still have time to spend an hour at the Booth Museum on Dave’s last day. Here, I’ll prove it:
Now Dave is gone and I am sad because there is no one to talk to about population data. Soon I will get to work on making that kickstarter video. Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be hearing about that. In other news, I passed my “Life in the UK” test for my new residency visa and there was even a letterpress-printing question! I know you think I am joking but this is 100% true. Visa interview on Thursday. Cross your fingers for me.
A note for readers in the South of England: places still available in my six week Tuesday-evening Bookbinding course at Ink Spot Press. Come! Make Books!
5 comments on “The Return of The Collaborator”
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Big Jump Press 
So what was the letterpress-printing question then? It sounds like way too difficult a test for most native-born Brits to pass!
Su
PS I have booked myself onto the 4day letterpress course at West Dean in September. Sorry if you thought you could go to WD without me …
Su, so glad I’ll see you again at West Dean!!! It wouldn’t be the same without you. Good old William Caxton was the question. A friendly face in a sea of stressful multiple choice.
See you soon!
Sarah
Wow, that’s beautiful work! What a fascinating collaboration and execution for a set of prints – I love them!! Wish I lived down South as I would be on your doorstep in a flash…..
Thanks so much, Nancy! I wish you lived down this way as well! If you like the prints, stay tuned, we’ll be selling them for a very reasonable rate to fund the production of the book. Forgive the plug, but we really want to get this going! Thanks again for your commment and I hope I see you sometime, north or south.
Sarah
I am so impressed and proud of all that you do. Love your newsletters. Copyright your population presentations. I fully expect to see similar presentations in textbooks within 10 years.
Love you. And Ben. And David.
Dad