Mark Pawson is a mad collector, God of low-tech printing and Photocopier Fetishist. He creates a constant stream of glorious little books, prints, screen prints, risographs, badges, zines, comics, dividers, maps, the list goes on – most of which is hand made in his living room. His printing methods involve a very wide spectrum of techniques, from screen printing to collage. However, one technique in particularly associated with is the old school classic- gocco printing. Mark’s “little books” are lovely snapshots of his various obsessions.
Above is the 'Die-Cut Plug Wiring Diagram Book'
His books have been acquired for collections in Museum of Modern Art Library - New York
National Art Library - Victoria & Albert Museum, London - Sackner Collection, Florida -
Museum fur Fotokopie, Mulheim, Germany and Bjork. He has collaborated with Tatty Devine, worked with Levis Vintage Clothing and received research funding from London College of Communication.
The Modern Review described him as a 'Lounge Lizard of the Subculture Salon.'
Some of his stand-out publications
Brown paper, white paper - A collection of Brown & White paper which has been used for protection, packaging and wrapping, accumulated over 20 years
All my rubber stamps - this book features every rubberstamp in his collection, 250 accumulated over 45 years, all completely stamped by hand and divided into classified sections
Paper paper - books made out of the wrappers from reams of photocopier paper and also the wrappers used to package paper and card when it's delivered by the
paper merchant/wholesaler, which he's collected/hoarded for several years.
Small plastic babies - a documentation of his collection of small plastic babies - yes really
Moustaches - A1992 collection of his clip-on plastic and other moustaches, apparently it is currently out of print whilst he figures out how to include a blue moustache and
some glow-in-the-dark snot
Many of the items that Mark produces are made of what most people would see as trash, like wrapping paper, packaging, flyers, antique paper, wood-chip wallpaper, plug diagrams - some of his most successful pieces are made from the simplest, throw away materials.
"I collect things for my own amusement and decoration. Every so often a group of objects will push their way to the forefront and demand to be taken a bit more seriously." Mark Pawson
1988 When he lived at 34 Cotesbach Road, he used sheets of billboard posters as a floorcovering, as the paper wore through it picked up the wood grain from the floorboards below, when he moved house, he used the paper to make an edition of 34 books, which were given to people who had visited or stayed at the house and contributed to the books by walking on the floor. Genius.
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