A coup d'œil at Thinking Letterform letterpress: Bangalore
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The talk presents ongoing research on chasing for type foundries and letterpress printing presses in Bangalore, India. From many fortunate to sustain was Late 1800? Sri Ranganatha Type foundry in Bangalore, Karnataka, India later transfer to Sri Bhubneshwari Type Foundry 1998. The foundry held a collection of Bronze and copper Kannada matrics from Monotype and other local casting companies which is now maintained at Srishti Manipal University letterpress lab. The lab also has Gobble Jobbler press from late 1800 with a collection on 250 metal type.
During this session, we will dive headfirst into the fascinating world of Bronze and Copper matrics. Font Casting machine, Gobbler Jobber press and you’ll learn about the collection of Kannada Roman, Brunda series, Times Roman, Baskervill Roman, Gill Sans, Majestic, Kohinoor, Old style Roman, Typewriter, Garamond, College Roman. (Monotype). It will further converse about the teaching of typesetting at the letterpress and showcasing students engagement and enthusiasm for the printing technique.
Zenab Bastawala is an award-winning typographer, researcher, type designer, educator, and sign collector. She holds a MA Degree in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication Design from Swinburne University, Australia. She teaches typography at the Srishti Manipal University, Bangalore, India. She founded ‘Thinking Letterforms’ (TLF) – a letterpress print lab at Srishti, where she conducts typography studios and workshops for UG & PG learners. Her work has published internationally, and she has taught classes and workshops on local and national levels. She has particular interests in new and experimental tools, using to create Indic letterforms that have visual texture, contemporary interpretation of traditional forms, using text in its visual and verbal aspects. As a sign collector, she curates ‘Sign Walks,’ an online platform that looks into urban signages, their context (e.g. contrast, uniqueness) and relationship with the cityscape. Zenab occasionally speaks about typography, branding, book design, and graphic design at national and international events.
