tipoteca: an italian type trip

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I am going to do my best to record a day-by-day journal here documenting the experience at Tipoteca. This will not serve as an end-all-be-all, nor will it capture everything in the vivid detail I was able to experience it in, but it gives us a place to start.

6/9 • Arrival Day

The afternoon I arrived in Venice, the rain fell heavily. It's like Italy was crying about another American showing up. We took it easier this day after our commute to the foothills of the alps and eventual arrival at the Villa Bolzonello. That evening we had our first group dinner at Crocetta del Montello's Crocetta-Nogaré — and let me tell you, the pasta ...

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6/10 • Tours

The first day in the museum was spent in the morning with an in-depth tours of the following spaces: archive museum, monotype machine displays, press displays, gallery, type achieves, and lab area. The exhibition on display was focused around documentation of local flora with pressed flowers and illustrations. The first of my Italian lunch experiences was at Don Mateo. The warm sun touching your back as you ate (you guessed it) pasta. We returne to the museum and were introduced to our first pair project. You and a partner were assigned a press and a section of a quote. You had to determine the print, and all together we created a poem book. That evening we broke into smaller groups and found supper. A small pub with a fire oven was where I found myself. The first of many pizzas.

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6/11 • Printing Day I

After brainstorming together the day before, my partner Paul and I had a solid plan to get started. Printing on a proofing press is never ideal, but I was generally impressed by our outcomes by the end of the day. Our word was Carattere, which is Italian for Character. We used a lab typeface that filled much of the space allowed printed in a transparent ink. About halfway through printing, we went to lunch: Lino Pizza in Pederobba - Covolo-Levada. I shared a House and a Diablo with Mitch. Insane. When we got back, the printing of the first color was done. The second color was a darker, saturated blue with the word again, and spaced into its syllables. We almost finished two colors but didn't quite get there. That evening we went in a smaller group to Valdobbiadene for meats, cheeses, and wine. There were a gaggle of teens near us. Still didn't disappoint.

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6/12 • Type Tour in Venice

We took the train early in the morning to get to Venice before the true heat of the day settled in. Andrea Carrer, a Venice-local, calligrapher and typographer, gave us a special walking tour of the best hand painting and carved signs in Venice. We spent 4 hours walking the streets, and as they began to fill with visitors, our tour ended as quickly as it started. That afternoon we went to the island of color, Burano. It rained again (and I was happy about it). That evening we had a special supper in Travis at Cantinetta Venegazzu writing haikus and drinking a house red. Mitch and I rode home in the trunk.

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6/13 • Project II, Part I

In the morning, Paul and I finished our second color. Then we were introduced to our second project, which was actually two projects. With pairs on presses (simply to share a press), we had to create type specimen of an archived typeface stored either within the lab or in the wooden storage cabinets in the center of the museum. We flipped through beautifully organized binders that held the collection. Our final run had to be at least 20 prints of a specific or multiple specimens. The second project was a bit more digital. Using Glyphs, you had to design a typeface either as an original or as a revival. That evening we went to a wine tasting in Cima, Valdobbiadene at Renzo Rebuli, a family-owned and run winery. The views, company, and Prosecco were incredible.

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6/14 • Project II, Part II

I determined my typeface I wanted to revive. It was a gothic-essc, display face. Little did I know after pulling it that it was Italian height, not French, meaning I wouldn't be able to print with it. I didn't know yet, as I was assembling on a flat before moving to my press (it was occupied). The rest of the day I worked in Glyphs, trying my best to understand this new software's. The pen tool in particular was far different than Illustrators, so it took a bit of getting used to. I decided first to work on a font I had drawn in my book as practice. For lunch this day, we went to a gelato shop in Pederobba. On our way back, we also stopped to see the Maser Mutiparte, a prime example of a late (I cannot recall the time period) century Italian farming operation.

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6/15 • Bodoni in Parma

We took a bus to Parma early in the morning on Mitch's birthday to see the Bodoni exhibition. It was a fairly long drive, but very worthwhile. The city itself was different than any city I've seen before. I learned a lot about the Bodoni lore, and got to see some early examples of his workshop elements and tools he'd use to print some of his most famous books. He was a master type designer and printer. Far beyond his time. We also got to see an arena made completely of wood called Liceo Artistico Statale Paolo Toschi. Fireworks, cake, and a lovely song greeted us later that evening — Micco and Marcio's birthdays.

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6/16 • Hiking in the Dolomites

A small group of us traveling north to the Dolomites to hike. On our way we ran into a small traffic jam caused by a bike race. So very criminal. The further into the mountains we traveled, the more it felt like a German city rather than Italian. At the bottom of the mountain (1/2 day) we had lunch at a little mountaineer rest area. Polenta, würst, smoked cheese, and a lemonade beer. The cooks let us go into the kitchen in the back and see where the food was made. In total, we hiked 9 miles with 2,100' of elevation over the span of three hours. The frequent, cold-running creeks were like heaven's gates.

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6/17 • Project II, Part III

I continued my projects through this day. We had a lecture by Riccardo and Dan R. about how to properly design a revival typeface, and some tips on how to run Glyphs. I didn't do any printing on this day. Supper was at our new favorite bar across the river from the museum (very quick walk, if you're willing to hop a fence), .

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6/18 • Project II, Part IV

This was the day I discovered the type I had laid out was not the proper height. I kept the note from whoever left it. Felt fitting for me. Anyway, I had to change plans and managed to do so and print all within the same day. I was inspired by a quote I saw on the outside of the museum in Parma, "Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future". I used a banner-style, resin-coded, lab typeface with a periwinkle and blue split fountain. Michaela, an incredible young printer from Hatch, showed me how to do this and helped me with this idea of how to elevate an otherwise 'boring', one-color print. This was the first lunch we got to have at the restaurant across the road from the museum. Now this place was special. After, we also got a chance to walk through the storage buildings containing Antigraphik's press and type collections. This evening we went to a famous cemetery with incredible architectural design and to Asolo for drinks and finger sandwiches. I tried a cumquat. We also saw wooden chariot races. I got to eat ketchup again at the 'American Bar'. Lots of jokes.

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6/19 • Project II, Part V

I started my finalizing my first digital typeface only to realize how inconsistent it was. I took the time to finish it through and start on a new one: reviving the typeface I originally had wanted to print. I also was given a lesson in setting metal type by Rory.

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6/20 • A Ride to Rovereto

We took a day trip to a city called Rovereto and saw two museums and four exhibitions. The first was at the Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero. Incredible displays of (a lot, but not all) the works of artist Fondo Depero. I resonated with this style a lot. We had lunch at what felt like the Italian version of your local Perkins: weird all-seasons decor and all. The second museum was much larger, comprised of at least three exhibitions. That evening, I watched my first soccer game in that same favorite pub.

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6/21 • The Last Day

Closing shop. We got another lecture in spacing and optical balancing by Riccardo. Lena arrived, and with Sandro's help, we were able to arrange a cab to pick her up in at the Marco Polo airport. I stood upstairs in the archive and was lucky enough to page through a few incredible sample books. I also finished the second typeface design. I had been working on it in my spare time. Still unhappy with it. I wonder if that part of me will ever change.

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My heart and brain left to Germany fuller than they've ever been.