Papermaking Verb Assignment
For this assignment students where asked to choose five verbs or actions to epitomize in a papermaking process. This is a conceptual and technical assignment. For example if the verb that was chosen was tighten, ne possibility would be to show a sequence of sheets that simulate a loose to incrementally tighter weaves (or you can literally weave the paper once it’s dry). Or one might form a sheet of high shrinking pulp and fasten it to a rigid frame to show what happens when the pulp literally tightens.
Ideally the verbs should reflect an area of creative interest for the students, and their technical execution should represent an exploratory use of material. It take some experimentation to find an idea that is interesting. Verbs such as “fold” have relatively straightforward implications in papermaking, so having your actions and materials also double as something more meaningful like folding a hand in cards that is more interesting. In addition to the physical objects that are made, students must document their thought process in writing. Student where then asked to write about a paragraph per idea, in which they talk about: where the idea came from, why they chose a particular technique and so on.
