Prompts Ephemera-led
Use Only Found Paper
For one spread, nothing may come from a shop. Everything must be paper that would otherwise have been thrown away, and it must be recognisable as what it was.
9 layers 4 min
Why found paper looks better
Found paper carries information that bought paper does not: a printed date, a coffee ring, a fold from having been carried in a pocket, a corner torn at the perforation. Those marks are unrepeatable and they give the eye something to decode. Patterned scrapbook paper is designed to be looked at once; a phone bill is looked at three times.
The recognition rule
Everything must still be recognisable as what it was. Cut a receipt into confetti and it stops being a receipt; cut it into three pieces and each piece still reads as a receipt. Cap yourself at four cuts per item, and never cut away the one feature that identifies the source — the logo, the date line, the barcode. If in doubt, cut the plain half and keep the identifying half whole.
Working with unfamiliar weights
Found paper ranges from 35 gsm till receipts to 400 gsm packaging board, and the glue that works on one fails on the next. Test every piece on a corner before committing: a glue stick that holds a 90 gsm flyer will cockle a 35 gsm receipt and will simply not hold a 400 gsm box panel. Keep paste and a runner on the desk and match the adhesive to the piece, not to your habit.
Two weeks of collecting first
Keep a flat A4 envelope by the door and put anything interesting into it for two weeks before sitting down. Working from a two-week collection gives you ten to fifteen pieces to choose eight from. Working from whatever is in the bin today gives you four pieces, three of which are envelopes, and the spread becomes a spread about envelopes.
Assembly order
- 1Keep a flat envelope by the door and collect for two weeks before starting.
- 2Spread the collection out and pick eight pieces with different weights and finishes.
- 3Test glue on one corner of each piece and set the failures aside.
- 4Cut each piece no more than four times, always keeping the identifying feature.
- 5Lay the pieces so at least three different weights are touching.
About 4 minutes of bench time, plus whatever the adhesive needs.
Supplies
- Whatever is in the recycling bin no purchases
- Glue stick 8 g
- Tweezers curved
- One sheet of card for the base the only allowed exception
The collection and how much of each to use
| Source | Typical weight | Max cuts | Keep whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Till receipt | 35-50 gsm | 2 | date line |
| Flyer / menu | 90-130 gsm | 4 | logo |
| Envelope | 100-120 gsm | 3 | postmark |
| Packaging board | 300-400 gsm | 4 | printed panel |
| Ticket | 150-200 gsm | 2 | barcode |
Where this goes wrong
Do not wash, iron or flatten found paper before using it. The coffee ring and the fold are the reason you picked it up, and a flattened receipt is a piece of blank paper with faint writing on it.
