Co-creation Experience – Katarína Rybnická – Sweden

The co-creation process was difficult to apply due to the lithography technique, but as a group we received training under the guidance of the instructor. He introduced us to the procedures of the graphic technique, and we were able to compare the process across different approaches in graphics, since each participant was creating their own original design. My output was mainly a technical test of a new lithography process for me. This included: drawing with chalk, masking with gum arabic, and adding details to the graphic with asphalt. Afterwards, I printed the graphics, where I improved my skills in rolling ink onto the stone.

At the beginning, we had a quick group introduction, followed by a visit to the graphic workshops where we worked for the rest of the academy. On the first day, our instructor explained the process of creating lithography, showed us cleaning and grinding techniques, after which we prepared our first designs and drew them on the lithographic stone. On the second day, we focused on printing and preparing another lithographic stone, from grinding to creating a new graphic design. In between the lithography-related activities, we had short coffee breaks where we also met other academy groups – those working on linocut and papermaking – and we had the chance to observe their processes. On the final day, we completed our designs and, at the end of the day, presented the results of our work during the academy.

I consider the greatest benefits of the academy (for me) to be the revisiting of procedures and learning new methods in lithography, trying out a new technique in designing my graphic work, and establishing new contacts among the academy participants.