Letters with stories - the landscape of the alphabet

Over the years, Ewan has worked with material found in a tenth-century manuscript now in the Burgerbibliothek in Bern, Switzerland. He first came across this material in a copy illustrated by Edward Catich and printed in the 1947 journal of the Catholic Arts Association of America. In it, the capital letters of the Roman alphabet are combined with short passages of script. These give the letters a symbolic meaning and a context that provides clues as to how the physical structure of the letter should be written. In practice, this guidance works on several levels, not only in guiding the hand through the form, but also in creating a mood or narrative that subtly influences aspects of the form. We can adapt this method for our own purposes by inventing our own stories around letters. Under the expert guidance of Mari Bohley, the experiments will be documented in a hardback book with flexible elastic binding. The title of the workshop comes from an exhibition Ewan did in Japan where this technique was used with 26 haiku as inspiration for one of the poet Basho's travel diaries. A translation will be provided during the course if required.

Materials: Writing tools (e.g. nibs, brushes, balsa wood, automatic pens, pencils, etc.) Writing fluids (ink, inks, gouache, etc.) Colours & tools for background techniques (airbrush paints, broad brushes) Bookbinding tools ( bonefolder, scissors, screw punch with 1.2 mm attachment, steel ruler, cutting mat, cutter, etc.) Please only bring existing tools and materials. We will provide the most important tools and materials for book production during the course!

Class times: The courses take place from 08.30 to 12.15 and 13.45 to 18.00. No new information will be given between 11.00 and 12.00 and between 16.15 and 17.15 so that those who wish to participate in the prayer times of the monastic community do not miss anything. The course will end at 4.00 pm on the last day.

Cost support: The monastery is dependent on sensible funding to organize and run the courses. However, costs should never become an obstacle. In case of financial difficulties, please contact Jean-Sébastien and ask for financial support.

Registration: Please register directly by e-mail with Father This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or with me via the registration button below and I will forward the registration.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Ewan Clayton
Calligrapher, lives and works as a freelance calligrapher in Brighton, Great Britain, www.ewanclayton.co.uk

 Marí Emily Bohley
BA Calligraphy and Bookbinding, lives and works as a freelance calligrapher in Dresden, www.maribohley.de