museum of kent life hops paper
DESCRIPTION
PapermakingMuseum of Kent Life, near Maidstone, Kent. The first couple of weeks in September are Hop Picking Time in Kent. This was a unique opportunity to work with over 100 children using the materials from the hop harvest and turning it into handmade paper ! September 2008TRANSCRIPT
Jonathan Korejko © 2009 12 Church Lane, Timberland, Lincoln |LN4 3Sb T:01526 378222 E:[email protected] 1
MUSEUM OF KENT LIFE
Paper from Hops September 2008
The first couple of weeks in September are Hop Picking Time in Kent. These papermaking sessions with local
schools were timed to fit into the traditional harvest. Using material from the Museum's hop fields, children were
taught how to make handmade paper which incorporated many parts of the hop plant into the paper: hop flowers,
leaves, bines, and even the coir string which held the bines in place. There were four vats on the go , each with
an adult helper who had been trained to assist the kids as they formed their sheets. Over the two-day period, we
produced over 250 sheets of A5 paper, all of which were taken back to school and dried. The paper we created
was unique, as it was very specific to the event: it was part of the harvest process, and thus looks like the place
where it came from, and the material contained within it.
Jonathan Korejko © 2009 12 Church Lane, Timberland, Lincoln |LN4 3Sb T:01526 378222 E:[email protected] 2
Hop Flowers. The colour from the pollen
dyed the paper light yellow. The petals mix in
well with the fibres.
Hop Words. Using a special technique, the word "hops"
appears at random all over the paper, which also has
coir string in it.
Hop Leaves. These were liquidised, allowed
to steep in pulp for 12 hours, which created
this green paper.
Hop Bine. This was first cooked and ground
up in the studio, then added to paper pulp:it
made a beige dye.
Jonathan Korejko © 2009 12 Church Lane, Timberland, Lincoln |LN4 3Sb T:01526 378222 E:[email protected] 3
A display board in
the workroom was
filled with samples
of handmade
paper, as well as
with a description
about how the hop
bines were turned
into paper pulp.
The event was organised and
financed by the Museum of
Kent Life as part of its "Local
Industry Days "
Both papermaking and hop
growing are part of Kent's rich
agricultural and Industrial
heritage. This was a good
example of how papermaking
by a contemporary craftsman
can be integrated into an
existing schools programme,
whilst also teaching children
about the place where they live
and its local resources.