Adam Shield: Poster Workshops

This cycle of six free, day-long public poster making workshops formed an integral part of Adam Shield: Amp Envelope at The Showroom. They ran on Saturdays 23 & 30 July; 6 & 13 August; and 3 & 10 September, from 11am–4pm

Contributors explored drawing and collage as experimental means of observation and reflection, and tried out DIY processes of using the Risograph printer and photocopier to make their own posters which were then blown up onto blue-back poster paper at varying scales to become part of The Showroom Mural Commission.

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Building upon a period of collaborative research in the local neighbourhood, Church Street Library & histories of radical community print groups, in-situ printmaking workshops created the context for a programme of drawing, print and poster-making sessions running on weekends throughout the exhibition.

Using drawing as a tool for communication and opening up spaces for critical reflection at times of rapid change, where Church Street is in the midst of major long-term redevelopment, the workshops have involved a collaborative process with community groups, individuals from The Showroom neighbourhood and beyond. Over time, posters of varying scales are being pasted up in an accumulating collage enveloping the facade; an amplification of voices revealing drawing, printmaking and collage as accessible platforms for reflection upon shared experiences; a means for personal expression to be collectively experienced by all.

Meanwhile, inside The Showroom Shield created a spatial collage for audiences to inhabit; an all-encompassing environment further exploring the expansive potential of drawing and print.

Shield's new body of work opens up drawing and collage as a means of exploring interior worlds; with imagery encompassing references distilled from post-apocalyptic science fiction writing, dystopian dream projectors, seventeenth century alchemy and everyday encounters with political, societal and economic structures.