Print Table
Print Table began as a self-directed construction project designed to support large-scale screen printing outside of a traditional studio environment. The aim was practical: to build a durable, transportable printing table that could be assembled, dismantled, and moved easily while still maintaining the precision required for textile printing. The project became an opportunity to expand both my technical building skills and the physical possibilities of where printmaking could take place.
The table was constructed using timber framing, industrial plywood, folding hinge systems, and a layered felt surface to support consistent pressure and ink transfer. Particular attention was given to proportion, weight distribution, and portability. Each section folds symmetrically into itself, allowing the structure to function both as a stable working surface and as a mobile unit that can be transported and rebuilt in different environments.
Building the table by hand introduced a different relationship to process—one rooted in construction, measurement, and problem-solving. Every adjustment required structural balance, and practical use. In this sense, the project moved beyond functionality and became closely aligned with my wider material philosophy.
More significantly, the table redefined the boundaries of the studio itself. By creating a structure that could move between locations, printing became less fixed to the confines of a studio and more responsive to environment. Light, weather, temperature, and landscape could now enter directly into the process, influencing both surface and perception.
Within my broader practice, this project reinforces an ongoing enquiry into process-led textile art exploring uncertainty, where adaptability and material responsiveness remain central. It also connects to my interest in printmaking exploring perception and reversal—expanding the idea that print is not confined to one controlled setting, but can evolve through changing spatial and environmental conditions.
Ultimately, Print Table represents a shift from studio as location to studio as condition: a portable framework for sustained observation, experimentation, and material engagement.
