Paper Theatre by Overlay Press was a series of workshops held in summer 2026, all about print, paper and bookbinding curated by Newcastle-based print studio Overlay Press.
Over the course of the project, the gallery operated as a functioning print workshop, event space, and an ever-evolving exhibition space – with the artworks made during each sessions going on display and gradually transforming the space into a vibrant celebration of all things print.
There were 7 workshops, catering to the meticulous and messy alike, and participants could learn about bookbinding, paper marbling, and got the opportunity to screen print directly on to the gallery walls. We also hosted a film screening of Ivan Smudja’s Knust: The Pioneers of Riso Print.
Overlay Press is a DIY small press and creative print studio based in Newcastle upon Tyne, established in 2021. They specialise in bespoke printing, bookmarking and design-led problem solving, collaborating closely with artists, designers and community groups to bring bold thoughtful ideas to life in print. Overlay Press is run by Erika Tyson-Green, Oliver Hoffmeister and George Stewart.
The workshops culminated in an exhibition at Slugtown.
Make Your Own Adventure Sketchbooks
Part sketchbook, part contraption, in this drop-in workshop kids built their own unique sketchbook to be carried everywhere and used for years to come. Rig up a pencil holder, fit a strap so it can be worn over the shoulder, even turn it into a mini backpack if you like.
Paper Marbling
The gallery was filled with colour through the ancient art of paper marbling. Using inks and pigments floated on water, children drew, combed and swirled colours into intricate patterns, before lifting the design straight onto paper and creating traditional marbled book endpapers. Some of these endpapers were used in our Monster Mash Exquisite Corpse books.
Exquisite Corpse Books
Long before the Surrealists played their exquisite corpse games, medieval manuscripts were already full of chimeras: strange creatures stitched together from mismatched parts. Taking inspiration from these and the wild imagination of Hieronymus Bosch, kids worked in pairs to design their own creatures in 4 separate sections. We made so many of these, that we turned them into two Monster Mash books, with all the original drawings included in giant folding books.
Shieldfield Tapestry
With the Bayeux Tapestry heading to the British Museum this year, we’re decided to tell a story of our own. In this workshop, children dreamt up their own characters, scenes and moments from life in Shieldfield, before bringing them to life on a giant canvas scroll. The scenes were stitched together to create one giant community tapestry portraying a shared story of Shieldfield.
Print Your Own Bookplates
In this workshop, kids will learned the fundamentals of screenprinting to print their own bookplate templates, then got creative with Posca pens to customise each one, celebrating their own identity and imagination. The finished bookplates were displayed on the gallery walls, creating a kaleidoscopic installation of their creations.
Film Screening: Knust – Pioneers of Riso Print
We screened Ivana Smudja’s incredivle documentary telling the story of the collective Knust – who pioneered the risograph in the 1980s.
Knust were a post-fluxus art collective founded during the large-scale squatter revolt in Nijmegen, Netherlands in the 1980’s. Since then the Knust artists have had international fame thanks to the authenticity of their colorful printed issues made with the Riso technique.
Smudja’s film follows the British illustrator Charlotte Ager during her residency at Extrapool, the headquarter of Knust. Alongside with her, we witness the making of a Riso printed art book and the incredible charm of this crafty technique.
Embossing Book Covers
In this thrifty workshops, children used waste generated from the project so far (including paper offcuts and card scraps) to build their own 3d collages, before stretching book cloth over the top to reveal the shapes beneath as raised, embossed patterns. Layered textures all press through the cloth in surprising ways, and windows can even be cut into the cloth to let colour peek through. The result is a completely individual book cover that is beautiful as it is functional.
Giant Jacob’s Ladders
Jacob’s Ladders are one of bookbinding’s oldest tricks. A clever fold and bind technique that lets the piece tumble and rotate, revealing a hidden second image as it moves. In this workshop, children learned the technique on a small paper version, then designed and drew artwork that contributed to two giant Jacob’s Ladders, hung from the gallery ceiling for the rest of the exhibition.
Acknowledgements
Slugtown are grateful to Arts Council England, the Malings Community Fund, and GF Smith for supporting Paper Theatre by Overlay Press.
