On 11 July the Small Performances Team gathered for a one-day symposium and hands-on workshop, at the School of Jewellery (BCU), Birmingham. With the theme of ‘Capturing Craft’ the workshop united jewellers, engravers, blacksmiths and other artisans together with printing historians, heritage scientists, archaeologists, and type designers in order to bring multiple perspectives to the analysis of the Baskerville punches whilst transferring knowledge to other crafts
Practitioners skilled in the various trades necessary for the manufacture of typographic punches provided the Team with hands-on experience of blacksmithing with Annie Higgins, tempering and hardening with Paul Evans, engraving with Anastasia Young, and casting metal type with Nick Gill. Adrien Vasquez demonstrated the skills and tools required of punch cutting.
It was a wonderful day, rich in experiences and conversation and which will enable the Team to view the punches in new and original perspectives.