Walking into Toronto’s Someone Studio, there’s an immediate old-world feel. Formerly Dreadnaught Press, the Someone team recently relocated 20 000 lbs of printing press equipment from a basement and into its new storefront home on Dundas West. When I visited the shop on a quiet, hot Sunday afternoon, Deborah Barnett and Aaron Benson, the creative and art directors respectively, were hard at work amidst the organized clutter of printing presses, ink and dozens of shallow wooden drawers that lined the walls. I pulled a drawer out to reveal compartments filled with letters. One drawer for every font, so said Benson.
Among the stationary, greeting cards, wedding invitations, and business cards (the bread and butter of most printing studios), Someone also produces beautiful posters, hand-sewn books and chapbooks. Many are displayed on shelves around the room. The studio is currently producing a poster of a Marshall McLuhan quote for the upcoming centenary of his birth. Other projects include a book of poems by musician Bob Schneider, a battle-of-wits broadside from writers Rob McLennan and Nathaniel G. Moore as well as a series of broadsides entitled “Someone: Water.” By the end of 2012, a total of nine pieces of beautifully printed writing will be available as a set.
The quality of the writing that Someone chooses is a source of pride for Barnett, but she is also passionate about the method and materials used for every project. Throughout my mini tour, she held out several pieces, asking me to feel the “sumptuous” quality of the paper and to notice the careful typesetting that produces even spacing between every word in a line of text.
The time-intensive process of printing on an old-fashioned press is fast becoming obsolete in the world of newspapers,. But, for Someone Studio, the use of the printing press is still essential, bringing authenticity, distinctiveness, and quality to their creations. “This is an old meets new situation,” explains Barnett. “We are very experimental – we aren’t running a museum.” The ultimate goal is to appropriate the tools of yore and use them to produce unique and contemporary pieces.
Check out Someone’s work at the upcoming launch of the second installment of the “Someone: Water” series at Naco Gallery Café on August 14. The event will include a two-voice performance of artist Astrida Neimanis’ writing as set on the broadside, which will also be for sale.
Store Information:
Address: 1691 Dundas Street West
Hours: Wednesday to Friday – 2pm to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday – Noon to 7pm, and by appointment