Making Paper Bookmarks with Invasive Plants

to
Harmony Arts Festival
Demos and Workshops
Ferry Building Gallery - West side
Cost: $35 
Register by phone at 604-925-7270 (quote course #219171) or online
Image
The image shows a close-up, high-angle view of a person's hands holding a wooden deckle and mold used for papermaking. The frame is made of light-colored wood, with a slightly rough texture, and appears to be handmade. Inside the frame, a sheet of wet, handmade paper pulp is visible. The pulp is a creamy white color and appears to be infused with various natural elements. These inclusions consist of small, fragmented green leaves, delicate blades of grass, and a few tiny yellow flower petals.

Join eco-artist Joshua Ralph for a workshop where you'll transform locally harvested invasive plants from restoration sites into unique bookmarks using recycled paper and simple papermaking techniques. Along the way, we will discuss local ecology and the significance of plants like English ivy, reed canary grass, tansy, and buttercup, and others featured in the workshop. All materials will be provided. Suitable for ages 10 and up.



About the artist:
Joshua Ralph is a settler-occupier of Scottish, English, French, and Métis ancestry from Treaty 2 Territory. They are a community-engaged media and eco-artist interested in changed and changing ecologies, whose work resides at the intersection of “nature” and creative outputs.

Image
The image displays three handmade bookmarks, each made from a pale, off-white paper embedded with dried botanical elements. The bookmarks are arranged diagonally from left to right, slightly overlapping. They are rectangular in shape with rounded top corners and a single hole punched near the top center of each, through which a piece of rough, natural-colored twine is threaded and tied in a simple knot at the top. The twine extends upwards and out of frame.

Joshua has a professional background in environmental field work, programming development, and commercial artwork. Blending these fields of study, he works between story and the materiality of invasive plants, seeking to invoke inquiry into presumed relationships held to urban environments. He has been recognized in publications such as The National Observer for his ongoing environmental outreach projects, with work exhibited both nationally and internationally, including in New York, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Innsbruck.

Artist website