The Bookmark Workshop

12/06/2018

Be sure to look out for us at our new web address and on our new FB page:

www.young-bucks.co.za
Young Bucks

A platform for teaching, learning and experimentation with the book form in Johannesburg, South Africa.

26/05/2018

We are moving! To a new location here on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/bigandyoung/

Young Bucks is a platform for teaching, learning and experimentation with the book form in Johannesburg, South Africa.

24/04/2018

During April we held a basic bookbinding workshop for artists. We used old books as the basis for forming text blocks, often recycling all parts of a book to one or many new ones.

23/04/2018

A backdated post from an artist book workshop we conducted with grade 11 learners at Jeppe High School for Girls in January and February this year.

The workshop began with an in-depth presentation
around artist's books, and an introductory session on remixing found content into a basic book spread. This session also included a general discussion around learner's relationships with books and reading, tactility in the digital age, and the possible ways in which we might understand and engage with books in the future. The overall brief for the workshop took as its departure point the requirement that learners engage actively with books in the library. Each learner was required to select a book, based on particular aspects of the book's content that the learner likes
or dislikes, or on aspects of its form.

Learners discussed their selections during a classroom session in preparation for the workshop day, a Saturday during which each learner completed four of their own books, each using a different binding technique, including creating pop-up books. Using these new skills, learners had three weeks to develop their response, where we were available during class to assist in overcoming technical difficulties.

Learners then presented their books to the class, discussing the decisions they made and how the project encouraged them to engage differently with the content of their book, and with reading more broadly.

20/04/2018

20/04/2018

A few snaps from the first of many upcoming workshops at Outreach Foundation, Hillbrow. The day included an introduction to basic binds as well as a pop-ups workshop for the kids. These workshops will be the start of the creation of self-published editions such as story books and colouring books in collaboration with Outreach's facilitators and participants.

17/04/2018

To all our friends, we wanted to share this quick post with you to let you know that yes - we have changed. After roughly a year of conducting workshops in a variety of contexts, from which we had the opportunity to learn so much, we have decided to formalise our activities into a new company - Big & Young. Part of what we have been doing over the past year comes from our love of books as an artistic medium, of storytelling and thinking about the ways in which stories can go on to influence aspects of life beyond the confines of a page. Another part of our activities comes from the joy of making, experimenting with new materials and techniques, and allowing this to be the driver of new ideas and conversations. As such, Big & Young will be operating in ways that allow us to work with both of these aspects; with the continuation of workshops throughout this year, the introduction of a series of custom made notebooks, artist’s editions as well as the supply of tools and materials for studios, schools as well as budding book and edition makers. All of these things are on their way, and we will be sharing them with you soon, but in the meantime, take a look at our new website! :)

http://bigandyoung.co.za/

15/02/2017

Have a look at this personalised year planner I made up for myself!

I used a beautifully designed art exhibition invitation card for the cover, and included tracing paper corner protectors to make sure the book edges last all year. The page design I did on my laptop and printed onto 95gsm off-white paper. Finally, I tied it all up with a long stitch to ensure that I can fold the spine flat when I need to write in it.

Want to learn to do this all yourself? Join a beginners course! Once you are comfortable with binding techniques, we can schedule classes for learning how to design interiors: everything from diaries to stories and poems, an extended love letter or a photo album. You could even print portfolios, or use a clean binding style to compose a client presentation book.

Courses will start in March, so be in touch to schedule a time that suits you!

08/02/2017

Hello to a new crafting community in Johannesburg! We are launching our new Melville based bookbinding studio with a single course for now, one for the beginners, but also something that may be ab…