Michele Pouncey-Orr

My practice and methodologies are aligned with traditional design techniques. My interest lies in the physicality of processes used for designing by hand rather than digitally. This tactile way of working contradicts and challenges the over manufactured perfection of flawless images produced by digital technology.  My aim is to bring these ways of working back into focus and embrace a sense of realism and authenticity.   

I use traditional silkscreen printing techniques on ‘utility’ papers such as tracing paper, newsprint and graph paper. This preference of materials is to highlight not only the unique quality of working by hand, but also the materiality and overlooked charm of basic low tech substrates that reference historically used design materials.

For inspiration, I’ve been studying traditional methodologies including block printing, collage and drawing used in archive and sample books from early – mid 19thcentury. Produced for industry, these archives of fabrics and wallpapers reference past ways of working and expose an underlying narrative between designer and maker. These are made visible in the form of reference numbers, technical instructions, symbols and codes. The inter personal presence is also clearly validated with unintentional marks of inks and spillages hinting at a sense of realism, naivety and imperfection. 

By utilising and bringing these underexplored aspects of archives to the forefront I’ve created new designs that heavily reference this overlooked dialogue.  These new ideas are then represented back in their original form of hand made sample books and archive boxes.