FOURTH PORTAL
GATEWAY TO THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
ⓒ Kaori Homma
VERSATILITY OF PAPER
The Response
Copying a 1953 call-out to artists by papermaker Bowater to respond to the versatility of paper, the Fourth Portal received 65 responses from artists in Gravesend and from across the country.
Newspaper
To celebrate the Versatility of Paper call out, the Fourth Portal created a special edition newspaper highlighting each piece of work submitted. Articles include an interview with the former head papermaker at the Greenhithe Empire Paper Mills describing how the paper industry shaped the destiny of Gravesend and Northfleet.
2,000 newspapers were printed and distributed around Kent and London, digital version is available here.
The Call-Out
Print Artist-in-Resident Dawn Cole spotted the Bowater call-out in an old print magazine from 1953.
There were 170 requests for us to provide vintage paper, with 65 responses returned by the 31 August 2023 deadline.
The work is now on display at the Fourth Portal in Gravesend, with a newspaper momento to follow and a discussion of touring the work.
October 2023
Click image for details and enlarge
![This small watercolour is a tiny memorial to Hayle Mill in Maidstone - the water powered paper mill on whose vintage paper it is painted.
Maidstone had so many mills it was known as the Paper City of the County; its river system and very hard water being conducive to the industry.
During its 130 year productive lifetime time [1857- 1987] Hayle Mill remained in the possession of the Green family. In 2010 it was turned into apartments.
I chose this format as Hayle Mill always retained its reputation for high quality paper and was the official paper of the Watercolour Society. Its highest accolade being that Turner chose to use Hale Mill paper as one of his watercolour papers.
Some Hayle Mill papers are still available today, much sought after by artists and restorers.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_554d995e3f4d4c2baa7763544774a9c8~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_794,h_794,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_554d995e3f4d4c2baa7763544774a9c8~mv2.png)
![River Linocut | Liz Kelleher [21]
A relief print I made this small lino cut block to print onto fabric and create a repeating pattern.
The dots are printed individually using the end of a wooden skewer or a cotton bud.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_62afe6548b824180a47a64c620f646f3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1720,h_2446,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_62afe6548b824180a47a64c620f646f3~mv2.jpg)
![Wasp Cell Map | Jane Jobling [22] Recently I have been making sculpture from paper that is informed by how different wasps make their nests. I aim to make my work more sustainable and to engage my audience in a dialogue about the vital role that wasps play in our environment.
Paper can be made from many materials and I was particularly pleased when my sample of paper was Whatman Deed Loan Imitation Parchment. Parchment was originally made from animal skin, particularly goat, sheep or cow but this imitation parchment is made primarily from wood pulp. Using every scrap of the paper provided, I have based my artwork on the cells of a wasp nest and appropriately wasps chew up wood to make the papery components of their nest. A loan deed agreement is a transaction between two parties who want different things and within a stipulated amount of time. In a loan deed between me and a nest of wasps, I would loan them a corner of my attic or garden shed and in return they would pollinate my garden and eat the pests. They would promise to leave within one year.
Although my artwork can seem quite varied, for the past twenty years I have been continuously making work about boundaries, edges and surfaces to explore enclosing and revealing space. Material exploration and shadows created within the work, or produced as light passes through them, play key roles in the sculptures and drawings.
Recently I have been making sculpture from paper that is informed by how different wasps make their nests. I aim to make my work more sustainable and to engage my audience in a dialogue about the vital role that wasps play in our environment.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_edf118846bfe47839e117353ee233f0c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_2740,h_2745,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_edf118846bfe47839e117353ee233f0c~mv2.jpg)
![Linocut Blind Embossing | Hugh Ribbans [25]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_aacc0c9590f742c392c49855664f5547~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_3006,h_2845,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_aacc0c9590f742c392c49855664f5547~mv2.jpg)
Scroll and Click image for details and enlarge
![This small watercolour is a tiny memorial to Hayle Mill in Maidstone - the water powered paper mill on whose vintage paper it is painted.
Maidstone had so many mills it was known as the Paper City of the County; its river system and very hard water being conducive to the industry.
During its 130 year productive lifetime time [1857- 1987] Hayle Mill remained in the possession of the Green family. In 2010 it was turned into apartments.
I chose this format as Hayle Mill always retained its reputation for high quality paper and was the official paper of the Watercolour Society. Its highest accolade being that Turner chose to use Hale Mill paper as one of his watercolour papers.
Some Hayle Mill papers are still available today, much sought after by artists and restorers.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_554d995e3f4d4c2baa7763544774a9c8~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_715,h_715,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_554d995e3f4d4c2baa7763544774a9c8~mv2.png)
![River Linocut | Liz Kelleher [21]
"River"
A relief print I made this small lino cut block to print onto fabric and create a repeating pattern.
The dots are printed individually using the end of a wooden skewer or a cotton bud.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_62afe6548b824180a47a64c620f646f3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_345,h_495,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_62afe6548b824180a47a64c620f646f3~mv2.jpg)
![Wasp Cell Map | Jane Jobling [22] Recently I have been making sculpture from paper that is informed by how different wasps make their nests. I aim to make my work more sustainable and to engage my audience in a dialogue about the vital role that wasps play in our environment.
Paper can be made from many materials and I was particularly pleased when my sample of paper was Whatman Deed Loan Imitation Parchment. Parchment was originally made from animal skin, particularly goat, sheep or cow but this imitation parchment is made primarily from wood pulp. Using every scrap of the paper provided, I have based my artwork on the cells of a wasp nest and appropriately wasps chew up wood to make the papery components of their nest. A loan deed agreement is a transaction between two parties who want different things and within a stipulated amount of time. In a loan deed between me and a nest of wasps, I would loan them a corner of my attic or garden shed and in return they would pollinate my garden and eat the pests. They would promise to leave within one year.
Although my artwork can seem quite varied, for the past twenty years I have been continuously making work about boundaries, edges and surfaces to explore enclosing and revealing space. Material exploration and shadows created within the work, or produced as light passes through them, play key roles in the sculptures and drawings.
Recently I have been making sculpture from paper that is informed by how different wasps make their nests. I aim to make my work more sustainable and to engage my audience in a dialogue about the vital role that wasps play in our environment.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_edf118846bfe47839e117353ee233f0c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_495,h_495,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_edf118846bfe47839e117353ee233f0c~mv2.jpg)
![Linocut Blind Embossing | Hugh Ribbans [25]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2fcede_aacc0c9590f742c392c49855664f5547~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_760,h_720,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/2fcede_aacc0c9590f742c392c49855664f5547~mv2.jpg)
Support
The creation of the Versatility of Paper newspaper was kindly supported by Gravesham Borough Council.
Autumn 2023
The Versatility of Paper call out was kindly supported by the Essex Cultural Diversity Project.
Summer 2023