VERSATILITY OF PAPER | Call Out EXTENDED to August 2023

The Versatility of Paper draws on the long history of papermaking and printing in the Gravesend, Northfleet and Purfleet areas of Kent and Essex. Paper produced in these mills had a multitude of purposes, demonstrating the versatility of paper, including,

• Newsprint paper for newspapers, comics and magazines (also printed in this area)
• Tissue paper for toilet rolls, nappies and sanitary products (and still being made today)
• Paper sacks for the transport of commodities such as tea, flour, sugar, potatoes, chemicals and minerals.
• Cardboard for packaging and packing cases
• Paperboard for the linings of plasterboard

In the 1953 edition of The British Printer 1953, an article entry was sent in by Bowater, who had a paper mill in Gravesend.

The Bowater competition for art students

The chairman and directors of the Bowater Paper Corporation are sponsoring a competition among the students attending art schools in the United Kingdom. Illustrations to be submitted are for the Bowater desk calendar for 1954.

Competitors are invited to illustrate The Versatility of Paper and its Importance in the World Today, and they can interpret this theme in any way they choose…

In the 1953 edition of The British Printer 1953, an article entry was sent in by Bowater, who had a paper mill in Gravesend. 70-years on Fourth Portal, in collaboration with artist Dawn Cole, invites you to partake in The Versatility of Paper.

Participants will be given a small piece of antique paper which they can use to make an artwork that celebrates the versatility of paper. The paper can be used to print, paint, pulp, sculpt, fold, engineer, play, shred, glue, and dye, in fact, the possibilities with paper are endless. The only rule is that the finished work must contain, in some way, the original piece of paper.

The provided paper will vary in size, weight, shape, colour and age. The only information provided will be the name of the papermill, its weight and the type of paper if known.

Artworks will be exhibited on the Fourth Portal website and displayed in an exhibition held in September at Fourth Portal.

This call is open to all ages.

If you are unable to collect a piece of paper in person, please send an email to info@fourthportal.com with The Versatility of Paper as the subject line.

Include your full postal address and we will pop a piece of paper in the post to you.

Deadline for return of paper, 31 August 2023

Drop off or send your work to Fourth Portal @ St Andrews Art Centre, 19 Royal Pier Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2BD. 

Please include your name, the title of the work and a brief statement about the piece.

This extended call out has been made possible with the kind support of the Essex Culture Diversity Project.