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We are proud to show you the results of a collaboration with Vancouver artists Sara-Jeanne Bourget and Mark Johnsen. We visited their printing studio at Emily Carr University of Art + Design last spring and we experimented to see how leather would react under a press, how the textures would hold through time and manipulation. The results were amazingly precise, all the details transferred perfectly and even embossed onto the leather. We brought the samples back to Montreal and did some additional tests during the summer, adding a finish to prevent Mark’s and Sara-Jeanne’s arts to fade and disappear or to avoid ink and charcoal to transfer on clothes.
We made the first Monotype taco bags and were equally delighted and looking forward to show everyone. Here we are with a very limited collection of unique fanny packs signed by 2 artists based in Vancouver and 2 craftswomen from Montreal.
Every Monotype taco bag is unique. The photos show the texture and design of the printing process on the leather, but every bag is truly one of a kind.
Q&A with the artists.
What is a Monotype?
A monotype is a one of a kind print made possible by ink transferring under high pressure by way of a printing press. In the case of Sara-Jeanne, she uses monotype with charcoal only.
What is your inspiration for these prints?
These prints are a continuation of our own individual practices, inspired by our creative processes.
How did you start printing together?
We started printing together about a year ago when we discovered that both of our practices (drawing and printmaking) could blend together and yield interesting and unexpected results. We also loved each other’s practices and had been influencing each other’s work in subtle ways. To start printmaking together is the result of a desire to collaborate, to get out of our (often) lonely studio practices and push the limits of our respective processes.
What did you like about this collab and did you learn anything cool?
It was amazing to see how our works transformed when printed onto leather and to see them take a three dimensional shape. Both our work mostly exists on walls, as they are two-dimensional. To think of them as wearable is interesting; there are so many ways to print art on clothes, and so many times did we get emails by random companies suggesting they could put our art onto various products... They are weird intrusive emails from people who found your website or instagram and feel they’re doing you a favor by commercializing your art...Anyway, the question is more how is collaborating with HotelMotel different than that, and it is in many ways. First, Corinne and Sara-Jeanne are sisters and there is a forever sacred loyalty in this! But mainly, HotelMotel bridges craft, fashion, art, design in every aspect of their work. They respect the process as much as the product: Where their materials is sourced, the individualized and personalized approach to making, their relationship to one another, which is highly inspirational for any artists who wants to collaborate on projects. They are not afraid to reach out to artists, musicians, dancers and other creative to help them build their brands, in either collaborating or creating a platform for the brand to exist. These are some of the reasons why we think our work can exist within HotelMotel and we are proud to be invited to collaborate with them!
What do you put in your taco bag?
All of life’s essentials: Jujubes and candy for Mark, a hotelmotel wallet, keys and phone for Sara-Jeanne.
Sara-Jeanne Bourget
From the making of naturally sourced charcoal, to drawing, collage, and printmaking, Sara-Jeanne explores the fluidity of representations in image making. Recently she has started a project where she investigates the physical and conceptual interconnections between “Rocks, Paper, Charcoal” based on her geological explorations and the inherent materiality of paper and handmade charcoal.
Mark Johnsen
Mark Johnsen’s practice centers around exploring the possibilities of the unique handmade print in an era of digital reproduction. Through studies of material exploration, traditional and non-traditional printing techniques: Mark works to capture gestural and representational time stamps as a record of living through a creative process.