The Constraint as Impulse

Abstract

Having spent several one- and two-month residencies within twelve months made me reflect and reconsider my practice linked to the place I was working at and the tools I had access to.

While I have an intaglio printmaking studio at home, not having access to printmaking tools and equipment for several long stretches of time—a constraint—resulted in two positive outcomes. First, the absence enabled me to develop a deeper connection with drawing which has up to now “only” been the basis for my prints. I reflected drawing’s means and inherent qualities, especially its spontaneous directness as well as, for drawing on thin Japanese paper, the idea of layering, hiding, and revealing of bodily sensations. Second, during the last residency, I expanded my practice towards a transportable, more flexible printmaking technique. I explored linocut with thick ink on smooth, non-absorbent paper as a “kiss,” a quick contact whereas to me, intaglio printmaking is an impressed and deeply indented trace.

This proves to me that a constraint does not have to be an obstacle or a disruption but can rather be turned into a fertile ground for new expeditions—parallel to the way Rilke suggested “[…] to love the questions themselves like locked rooms for which you lack the key […]” (Rilke 2018, p. 36). Constraints can be productive and spark new impulses.