2020 at Riso Pop
Today is the last day of 2020, and as I look back at everything that has happened, I think that this year has shown the resilience of Riso Pop. A small boat that was able to come through one of the most horrible storms and can proudly set sail for another exciting journey in 2021. (cheesy right?)
Shall we take a look at the year?
I thought it would be nice to have an overview of some highlights as well as some struggles.
What we lost during the storm
I think that the biggest impact of the COVID pandemic to the studio was the restrictions and finally closing of the studio to the public. With workshops being the main aim of the studio, these developments hit me the hardest. I had also planned multiple projects and exhibitions with large groups of people, even a Mexico- Netherlands riso exchange - that in the end we had to cancel.
And to add an extra cherry on the cake, in the summer we had the first proper riso breakdown with one drum getting stuck and breaking. The plans to get a new colour in the family just vanished.
Finding Creative Solutions
Some of you know me, and for those who don’t, I don’t like to just sit and do nothing. In March it was clear that I needed to stay active (to stay sane). We were lucky that we had access to our studio as it is a private building. This opened the possibility for the first community project ‘3 week indoors’ zine. This was the first interaction with more of an online community and international project.
Like many, I decided to try an online version of the workshop. Which was a bit of a long-shot, since most people want to actually see the machine in real life. I’m extremely grateful for those first pioneers that actually participated! And I got to meet so many lovely people also outside the Netherlands.
When we had to restrict the amount of people I made the workshops smaller and opened more time slots again at the studio. It was hard work, but the good vibes of everyone made it all worth it. And I don’t know how, but I even managed to organise the Open Studio after the summer! With even more strict timeslots, but many lovely people came (less than 30) and that one day was fabulous.
Learning new things
Where to start? So many! But here are a few i’d like to share with you:
Online is possible: I’ve kept tweaking and improving my online presence as well as the workshops and have had such amazing feedback that I can say that riso workshops online are possible and fun. But it’s hard work. SO many things to keep in mind, to keep track of behind the screens… never taking online stuff for granted again!
Some ideas just don’t work (even if theres a crisis): I tried to offer printing services during lockdown, but I just can’t… I like to talk to people, know about them and their project. When I get a standard mail of: “I want so many prints with these colours by next Tuesday” I cringe. Riso Pop is not an anonymous printing service provider.
Community trumps everything: Maybe this year was not the most successful money wise, but to see the Riso Pop community grow, find new friends and colleagues is so much more enriching! Thank you all! A little shout out to all of you who also participated in the Riso 3D project and final exhibition!
My top 3 experiences in 2020
So many cool stories to share, but this post is already getting too long! So here’s my top 3 moments of 2020 in chronological order:
Riso Friends
Since the beginning of the year I finally got out of my shell and started meeting more riso studio’s. Starting from my actual childhood friend in Mexico who runs SARA (one of the most beautiful riso accounts), the lovely ladies from Jemini Press in Sweden with whom we brainstormed about online workshops, Greg from Chuggapress a friendship made during lockdown and Riso Fort in Hamburg who came to visit and convinced me to repair my broken drum! These are just a few, of course there are many more :)
SVA Riso Course
I was thrilled to learn that SVA in New York was giving courses online as well and I joined during the summer their riso course with Panayoitis Terzis, a riso legend! And it was so great to not only take “class” again, but to be able to ask all the questions I had, and also meeting new friends :) to read more you can check my blog post here
Internships
During the beginning of the lockdown I got some mails of people wanting to an internship at Riso Pop. I was surprised at first and didn’t know if it was a great idea with the current situation, But I also realised that in these times it’s specially hard for young people. So I agreed to two: Veronica & Alice, but as the crisis worsened, only Alice from Schotland was able to come. These two internships have been a fantastic experience of bringing new ideas and knowledge into the studio; the opportunity to work on bigger projects and having extremely productive months! Thank you to you both for your fantastic energy!
Read about Alice >> HERE
Read about Veronica >>HERE
And well this ends my post with a small tear in my eye. I wish you all a very exciting 2021! Again I cannot thank you enough for your support and keeping the studio alive. Let’s continue this journey together.
- Aafke
