SHIMMERING NOSTALGIA – PATTERN PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP

The pattern on cement tiles constitutes the epitome of Art Deco design, which was popular in Saigon in the 1960s – the ‘Pearl of the Orient” period. It also marks the transitional period from conventional classic Eastern motif to geometrical Western decoration. As time flew, which turned contemporaries into classics, the patterns found on cement tiles in Vietnam still contain the disparate spirit living between two different cultures.

At that moment, Phạm Đạt Tiết brought the screenprinting techniques from France to Saigon, opened the first screen printing workshop in  1950 and populated the use of shimmer ink in print products. Shimmer ink technique is skillfully challenging since each batch of ink must be mixed by hand with a customized blend of chemical. Though printmaking goes hand in hand with technological innovation, the shimmer ink technique is still the privilege of silk printing. The shimmer adds to its surface a  touch of grandeur when stretching into another dimension with the depth of natural lighting.

Inspired by the moment when East meets West in the past, this workshop, titled ‘Shimmering Nostalgia’, is initiated by The Factory in collaboration with printmaking ‘Materialize’  artist Thy Nguyễn. This screen printing experience will use patterns as found on cement tiles’ patterns on lucky red envelopes, as a way to be nostalgic as we look to a better year ahead. 

*The patterns as found on cement tiles is redesigned by Aquarelle de Saigon, an art supplies brand inspired by the robust urban lifestyle of Saigon.

➖ Once registered, the attendee will:
   ▪️ Customize a pattern inspired by the cement tiles of Saigon.
   ▪️ Be provided all equipment and materials to practice;
   ▪️ Receive detailed instruction about preparing shimmer ink and how to screenprint shimmer ink products;

About instructor:

Thy Nguyễn (b.1992, HCMC), born and raised in Saigon and a graduate from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts with a major in Graphic Design in 2017, Thy Nguyễn uses printmaking as his dominant artistic medium. For Thy, printmaking is a way to explore the different aspects of life, a creative means of visualizing particular perceptual phenomena. Select exhibitions include the solo exhibition ‘Other Future‘, The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre (2020); the ‘5th Bangkok Triennale International Print and Drawing Exhibition’, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok (2019); the ‘2nd International Print Biennale Yerevan’, KulturDialog Armenien, Yerevan (2019); the ‘International Graphic Art Festival UNIGraphica’, Kovalenko Art Museum, Krasnodar (2019); the ‘3rd International Biennale of Miniature Art’, Mansarda Gallery, Timișoara (2018)… Currently, he’s developing the handmade watercolor product line at Aquarelle de Saigon, using his research in pigment while being a printmaking artist.

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Please contact our hotline +84(0)28 3744 2589 or send a direct message to our Facebook page for any inquiry on the event.

*Participants of the event allow The Factory and co-organizer (if applicable) to use their images and statements as a documentary for the program, for non-commercial purposes such as archive, press, media, promotion on our website, Facebook etc.