Overview (application at bottom of the page):
This is a residency held in the home of Jordan Knecht.
During your residency, you will work with Jordan to design and print an edition of ten 18x24” conceptual blueprints.
The subject/ style/ content of your blueprint is entirely up to you.
Blueprints can be made in many different ways. The image does not have to be a drawing.
You don’t need to know how to make a blueprint to attend this residency.
The edition of blueprints will be split in half between you and Jordan and will be sold for a set price which you both agree upon.
You are expected to show up with a loose idea, your own source materials, any specific tools you desire, and an open mind.
(no specific tools or materials are required, just bring what you enjoy working with or want to try working with)
Please don’t show up with a final image, expecting to print and leave. This isn’t a printing service.
This residency is far more about letting a process unfold through communing, collaboration, and conversation than it is about producing a final product.
Location:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Duration:
One day (expect 11-15 hours)
Cost:
Free
Funding:
No stipends are available for materials or travel.
Accommodations:
Lodging accommodations are not available, however three home-cooked meals are provided during the residency. Dietary restrictions and preferances can be accounted for.
Tools/ Materials (tools and materials are available, but don’t expect everything you desire to be here):
Blueprint Materials: Vellum, blueprinter, diazo paper.
Computer Resources: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe InDesign CS5, Adobe Illustrator CS5, various other computer programs, Epson Perfection 2400 Scanner (8.5 x 12” bed),
Samsung 10.5" x 19” HDMI monitor.
Analogue Resources: An assortment of markers, pens, pencils, markers, scissors, etc., large vellum.
Additional Resources: Stereo, record player, large assortment of records.
(The studio is located relatively close to a secondhand art supply store and a copy shop, both of which can serve as a convenient field trip if other materials are required.)
Fair Warning:
If accepted for the residency, you will be spending the day with Jordan Knecht.
Parts of your residency (such as print preparation and printing itself) will require collaboration with Jordan.
Jordan will be available during the duration of the residency for additional non-required conversations and collaborations.
The studio is in a residential apartment.
The blueprint machine uses ammonia. As a result, it smells a bit foul while printing.
About Blueprinting:
Blueprints only come in one color - blue.
Blueprinting is a form of cyanotype printing.
It is the same technology used to reproduce architectural blueprints before large-format inkjet printers.
Blueprinting uses light-activated (diazo) paper in conjunction with Ammonium Hydroxide to produce blue lines on the paper.
This form of printing can handle gradients very well without the need for halftones or rasterization.
In order to print images as blueprints, they must be converted or created in light-blocking colors (most commonly black or red).
Our blueprints will be imperfect. They may not come out exactly as you expect.
Below is a video of a similar blueprint machine producing a print:
Application
(answers don’t have to be super long or in-depth)