A passion for paper

Frankie Unsworth discovers that the
digital domination has spawned a paper revival.

We might be living in an age of tech
junkies, tweeters and bloggers, but we digital Design Hunters™ won’t necessarily
be forgoing our passion for paper.

I was recently penning a letter
to a pal in Paris when my brother-in-law caught me red-handed in this archaic
act.

His utter astonishment could
only be comparable to having witnessed a Raptorsaurus suddenly charge into the
kitchen. “But what do you write? Like, what you write in an email?”

Many might have relinquished
paper, but the dawn of the age of the iPad has also heralded a new generation
of tech savvy lovers of stationary, scrapbooking, bookbinding and paper
artistry.

Somewhat ironically, the digital world has proved to be a
useful tool for unearthing these exciting paper goods and discovering
painstaking work by artists and paper engineers across the globe crafting 3D
creations from the material.

An online portal for all things paper, uponafold.com.au, launched in February
this year.

Its store sells everything from paper vases by Torafu
Architects, through to multi-coloured polka dot Japanese tapes – oh-so-hip
right now with paperphiles – while the blog offers paper anoraks posts on the
making of washi paper in Kyoto.

“My idea
was to create a revolving paper show – a place where people can visit, to see
the best and most brilliant paper works from around the world,” said graphic
designer-cum-paper seller Justine Fahd.

“Paper
is so versatile. It’s fragile yet strong, highly accessible and truly
expressive. It comes in all forms, shapes, colours and sizes, is both
functional and decorative and a material we are exposed to every day of our lives.
So I feel a really strong connection to it.”

Familiarity and touch are for many of us the true pulling
power of paper.

The web might open up countless possibilities for
unearthing printed pleasures from our desks, but Paper 2 on Crown Street in
Surry Hills is a treasured hub for paper lovers.

Photograph: Kristen Hove

Paper and everything in between – think wax candles with
custom-embossed stamps and paper mobiles – is the essence of this store.

Photograph: Kristen Hove

Margaret Rockliff tells me that the last two years has
seen her paper buying clientele shift from an older generation of ladies
through to an even age and gender distribution.

“I compare the resurgence of paper products to vinyl
records and record players. Both can now be by-passed when using technology but
there is nothing like owning something real and tangible.”

Why not tell us your favourite ‘paper place’ in the comments below?

Other online resources for paper

Rifle
Blog

riflemade.squarespace.com

Papercrave

Me and
Amber

Atypical
TypeA

O-Check
Graphics