Upon Paper
Paper maker Hahnemühle FineArts turns paper into a platform for art and graphic design with its large-format magazine Upon Paper.
Venerable paper manufacturer Hahnemühle FineArts, founded in 1584, has launched a large-format project called Upon Paper that says "big is beautiful", creating an innovative forum for artists, designers and architects. The project involves three parallel channels: Upon Paper magazine, the Upon Paper website and the Upon Paper Space in Berlin, a room for exhibitions and discussions.
The bi-annual Upon Paper magazine is definitely the most sensational of the three, which is printed on 170g, 49x69cm art paper in two languages – and thus not intended as a quick, throw-away read. On the contrary, the idea is to celebrate paper's value as a lasting medium that will survive the digital age.
The project came about through the manufacturer's close ties with the world of art and design. As a producer of high quality specialty papers, Hahnemühle is operating discreetly in the background as project initiator. Plans are for the initiative to be developed into a self-sustaining art project. As a paper maker, the company has always supplied the materials that serve as the classic medium upon which creative professionals capture their ideas and visions.
EnlargeS&D staffer reading Upon PaperS&D staffer reading Upon Paper
As ever, Hahnemühle allows others to fill the blank sheets with content, which in the case of Upon Paper magazine is of the highest quality, matching the quality of the material itself.
Every issue of the magazine has its own theme, in relation to which a variety of perspectives and viewpoints are presented. Palm trees adorn the cover of the first issue (just published), devoted to Los Angeles, in which Californian multimedia artist Doug Aitken and an expert on the Beach Boys are featured. The exhibition "Planet LA" is being held in parallel, transporting the magazine's theme into the Upon Paper Space.
Upon Paper magazine is not a mere medium; it is at the same time a portfolio of individual art works. The magazine's loose sheets are literally held together by a red "common thread", and can be separated from their context as individual layouts. Numerous artists collaborated in producing the first issue, including Bob Mizer, Jack Pierson, James Reeve, John Severson, Mirko Martin, Peter Emch, Ralf Ziervogel, Rinus Van de Velde, Robert McNally, Dries Van Noten and Veronika Kellndorfer.
The magazine has 80 pages, is packaged individually and comes in a printed box, priced at 49.80 euros.
Image: UPON PAPER #01 magazine cover
© Helder Suffenplan, Upon Paper