Fibre Libre

Open Source Papermaking

July 25-26, 2009

The first Open Edition event will take place on the weekend of July 25-26, 2009, at Asheville Bookworks. Participants are invited to join Flatbed Splendor for Fibre Libre, an Open Source Papermaking workshop, in which a collaborative edition of paper will be created by the group. This workshop is made possible by Interlude Editions and their Artist in Residence Program.

Participants are invited to send pieces of 100% cotton clothing to BookWorks by July 20th. Before the weekend event, the clothing will be cut down, soaked and beaten into several batches of fibrous pulp: Fibre Libre. These batches of Fibre Libre will become "source code" for the Open Source Paper.

Participants will be asked to arrive in Asheville on Friday, July 24th. We'll get together that evening, familiarizing the group with the project and each other. The workshop will begin on the morning of Saturday, July 25th, with a demonstration of the papermaking process. After the demonstration, we will practice pulling sheets together and then break for lunch.

After lunch, we will begin pulling Version 1.0 of our Open Source Paper, with an agreed upon starter formula of Fibre Libre. As the workshop progresses, participants will have the opportunity to alter the code by changing the Fibre Libre formula and creating their own versions of Open Source Paper. On the morning of Sunday, July 26th, we will have a celebratory brunch, after which we will continue pulling sheets until the Fibre Libre is gone!

The resulting edition of paper will be variable, dependent entirely on the choices made by participants. A detailed formula will be documented for each version of Open Source Paper that emerges from the event, making it possible for participants to use, study, redistribute and modify the formulas once the workshop concludes.

Once the paper is made, it will become substrate for Version 1.0: Starter, an Open Edition artist's book, to be completed in the spring of 2010. All participants in the Fibre Libre workshop will be given a copy of Version 1.0: Starter, both as gesture of thanks and in observance of the ethics of Free Cultural Works. In addition, participants will be given detailed formulas for all versions of the resulting paper, enabling each participants to move forward with their own papermaking projects as they see fit. The papermaking instructions will be letterpress printed for each participant on sheets of the Open Source Paper soon after the event. They will also be posted in digital format on the Open Edition wiki.

Participation in the papermaking workshop is limited, due to the size of the studio at BookWorks. If you would like to participate in the event, please e-mail Flatbed Splendor as soon as possible. Your participation will be confirmed via e-mail, at which point you will receive detailed instructions about sending your clothing, travelling to Asheville, finding accommodations and scheduling for the weekend.

If you are not able to participate in the Fibre Libre workshop but would like to take part by sending clothing for inclusion in the edition, please e-mail Flatbed Splendor, expressing your interest. You will receive detailed shipping instructions via e-mail. In gratitude for your participation, you will be sent papermaking instructions, letterpress printed sheets of the Open Source Paper soon after the event.

For more information regarding Open Edition, including future events and opportunities to participate, please visit the FrontPage.

Thank you for your interest and your participation!