Alan Qualtrough is one of our Print in Action residents, specialising in linocut, letterpress and digital printing processes. We caught up with him to find out more about his practice and his plans for Print in Action Festival!
“I’m a former newspaper editor and journalist, now a graphic designer, typographer, community publisher, and letterpress printer.” Alan uses art to send messages through media, stating, “I fear for our future (and present) if we cannot stop the current flood of lies, clickbait and bias we are fed daily in mainstream media. Join me in the fightback with critical engagement and giving people who are not usually heard a voice.”
During Print in Action Festival Alan will be running an all day workshop called The Truth Wall, where he is inviting people of all ages and art abilities to produce an installation of letterpress-printed protest posters to be displayed in the courtyard of Ocean Studios. To keep up to date on ticket releases for workshops and masterclasses, join our monthly Arts, Culture and Making newsletter here. You can buy tickets for Print in Action Festival here.
Alan is the director of The Stonehouse Voice, a not-for-profit community newspaper for the Plymouth Stonehouse neighbourhood to encourage cohesion, give residents a voice, and provide a way of communicating important local messages. He believes that “Touch is truth – when you physically handle type, you engage better with language.”
We can’t wait to see what you will create with guidance from Alan at Ocean Studios on 22nd-23rd October!
You can find out more about Alan’s work on his website here, and follow him on Instagram @alanqualtrough.