THE NEWSPAPER HOUSE GALLERY
Photography:Ruth Gardiner www.myspace.com/roofjee
George Torode www.georgetorode.com
Emra Islek www.emraislek.com
Ben McDonnell www.benmcdonnell.co.uk
Ramon Andarias www.myspace.com\mouclito
Nazir Tanbouli www.nazirtanbouli.com
Gillian McIver newspaperhouse
* all photographs used with permission
08.3.08 The Newspaper House in Gillett Square
artist Sumer Erek presenting the House at the opening. Photo Nazir Tanbouli
Please visit www.newspaperhouse.blogspotcom for more photos
18.2.08 The Newspaper House in St. Barnabas Hall.
Sumer Erek building
The construction - textures and shape made from newspaper
photos by Gillian McIver
2.2.2008. First visit to St. Barnabas Hall.
At Shacklewell Row, with easy access from Dalston Kingsland Station or Dalston Junction.
I had my first viewing of the Newspaper House at St. Barnabas Hall. Ariane Feijó came along and, as we arrived, Nicola had just finished interviewing Sumer Erek.
At the entrance of the Hall the scent of wood anticipated the vision of the cast of the Newspaper House, an imposing structure made of wood and plywood, which took up almost completely the central space of the Hall. A playful reminiscence of childhood, when we made barracks out of big cardboard boxes, enacted the rooted image: a house inside the house.
There were several collaborators working with the newspapers, folding and rolling them on the Stix's machines, producing sticks at a regular pace; the aim of the day was to estimate a rate of daily production.
Sumer Erek got us into the wooden cast through one of the two opposing central entrances and guided us to one corner where the filling of the cast was being tried out. He showed us the several technical solutions to bundle different sizes, lengths, and different amounts of newspaper sticks, which will serve as structural components and as filling material. Once the actual technological solutions are established the volunteers can be trained to work. This should be decided by 7th Feb, so that the main filling of the cast is completed for the main event at the beginning of March.
We were then trained to process the newspaper into sticks. Sumer, Karen and Hanna showed us how to fold the newspaper sheets, roll them, and afterwards glue them and roll them on the Stix machine (an invention of Darcy Turner). Ari, Nicola and I naturally got into a focused working pace, to understand the engaging, therapeutic power of manual work and to enjoy the feeling of transforming, compressing, a numbly soft flat raw material into a thick fine generic reed-like shape. Lightness.
© Suzana Vaz 2008
Text "Dwelling or Anti-Dwelling: Sumer Erek's Newspaper House" by Suzana Vaz
Sumer Erek (r) demonstrating the building process of the Newspaper House
Photo Ramon Andarias, used with permission.
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