Talks & Workshops

18 August 2022

Counter Sessions #1
“Ever since the days of Mrs. Gutenberg …”

A–Z Presents, Berlin. Panel talk and street marbling workshop

Departing from their book “Natural Enemies of Books – A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography”, feminist graphic design research collective MMS invite colleagues to the A—Z Counter Sessions for a conversation on graphic design histories beyond the male-dominated canon.

“Ever since the days of Mrs. Gutenberg, women have been involved in the art of printing” writes the group Distaff Side in 1937 in their preface of the book “Bookmaking on the Distaff Side” offering a satirical, feminist, re-writing of book history. Decades later, design historian Martha Scotford responded to patriarchal and capitalist design history writing by inventing the concept of “messy history”, which could serve to acknowledge many more experiences and trajectories than those fitting into conventional design history books.

Not only have individual women designers been structurally obscured in written design history, but also social relations and collective activities that deny or go beyond individual success stories.

This evening is dedicated to a collegial conversation about experiences from attempts made to contribute to graphic design history with names and stories that can allow for more accurate ways of understanding the past, present and future of the field. Invited guests are design historian and writer Gerda Breuer, co-author of “Women in Graphic Design, 1890–2012”, and design writer Madeleine Morley, for a discussion on women and labor histories of graphic design, collective struggles, research strategies, and history writing today and tomorrow.

The panel will be followed by a workshop where copies of “Natural Enemies of Books – A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography” can be coloured along the edges using the traditional technique of marbling paper.

Gerda Breuer is a historian of art and design history and a writer based in Aachen. She was a professor at the University of Wuppertal until her retirement, along with a number of teaching positions and guest professorships in Germany and abroad. Her research and publications are devoted in particular to applied art, design, architecture and industrial culture of the 19th and 20th centuries. She is, together with Julia Meer, the author of “Women in Graphic Design, 1890–2012” (jovis Verlag, 2012).

Madeleine Morley is a Berlin-based writer, editor, and researcher originally from London. She is especially interested in histories of design, media, and feminism, often seeking to combine the tools of journalism and archival research. She was previously senior editor at AIGA’s Eye on Design, founding editor of Futuress magazine, and has also worked as an editor for magCulture and It’s Nice That.

10 June 2022

Network meeting with NAP Nordic Art Press, Oslo

On art book distribution in the Nordics. With Karen Grønneberg, Lotte Grønneberg, Torpedo Press, MMS, Ragnhild Aamås.

27 April 2022

“Mess, Organizing and Un(der)told Histories”

Online lecture and book presentation for Typo Club / Bern University of the Arts.

8 March 2022

“Self-publishing, graphic design and typography from a feminist perspective”

Workshop and talk at Grafikskolan (The college of Printmaking arts) in collaboration with Mossutställninga. The paper marbling workshop was part of the course “Self-publishing, fanzines and public letter” organized by curator, researcher and art pedagogue Alen Ksoll.

8 December 2021

Workshop and Lecture at Stockholm Typographic Guild

Paper marbling workshop and talk about the book The Natural Enemies of Books: A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography.

1 April 2021

Workshop and Lecture

Paper marbling workshop and talk about the book The Natural Enemies of Books: A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography. Part of a book design course for BA1 students organized by lecturer Jens Schildt.

27 February 2021

Printed Matter New York Art Book Fair

Panel talk at (the virtual) Printed Matter New York Art Book Fair with Maryam Fanni, Matilda Flodmark, Sara Kaaman, Haytham Nawar, Danielle Aubert, and Madeleine Morley

Departing from their book (Occasional Papers, 2020), feminist graphic design research collective MMS (Maryam Fanni, Matilda Flodmark, and Sara Kaaman) invite colleagues to discuss projects aiming to expand graphic design history beyond the canon, looking into the "messy" histories of BIPOC, womxn, and laborers. The conversation includes graphic designers and educators Haytham Nawar (co-author of A History of Arab Graphic Design together with Bahia Shehab) and Danielle Aubert (initiator and editor of exhibition and book The Detroit Printing Co-op: The Politics of the Joy of Printing). The conversation will be moderated by design writer and Futuress co-founder Madeleine Morley. Presented by Occasional Papers.

Watch the video here.

22 October 2020

Press On!

Book presentation & panel talk at Göteborgs Litteraturhus (Gothenburg House of Literature)

Design research collective MMS invites you to an evening at Göteborgs Litteraturhus, exploring counter-narratives to conventional book history writing, and the possibilities of collectivity in publishing practices, historically and today. The program departs from the newly published book "Natural Enemies of Books – A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography" (Occasional Papers, 2020), collecting responses to, and partly republishing the experimental feminist account of American printing industry "Bookmaking on the Distaff Side" (1937). Artist and PhD candidate at HDK-Valand Eva Weinmayr will present parts of her dissertation project "Noun to Verb: an investigation into the micro-politics of publishing through artistic practice" exploring the act(s) of publishing as intersectional feminist practice. Nils Olsson will facilitate as moderator throughout the evening. Funded by Pronto, Gothenburg City Council

18 September 2020

Book release: Natural Enemies of Books – A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography

Index Foundation, Stockholm
Read more...

2020

Nomination for VOLUMES Book Award 2020

Symposium: MAKING PUBLIC AND PUBLICS: ART PUBLISHING IN CONTEXT

Symposium at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, Tallinn, Estonia. Panel talk on Feminist Publishing and Publications. Moderator: Marge Monko. Panelists: Maryam Fanni and Matilda Flodmark (MMS), Sara Kaaman (MMS/Girls Like Us), Jessica Gysel (Girls Like Us), Liz Allan (Tender Center/AtCS)

31 October 2018

Lecture and Workshop KHiO Design, Oslo

(The National Academy of the Arts)

Paper marbling workshop and talk about the project The Natural Enemies of Books: A Messy History of Women in Printing and Typography. Part of a book design course for MA1 students organized by lecturer Lotte Gronneberg.

19 October 2018

One Day About Typographic Histories

Seminar at Konstfack organized by Rikard Heberling
MMS contributed with “Natural Enemies of Books: A choir”

12 November 2015

Forms of Politics # 3 Gothenburg

Seminar organized by Erling Björgvinsson, Kristina Ketola Bore, Johanne Aarup Hansen at A-venue, Göteborg

In this talk we will present findings and preliminary outcomes of the project “The Name of the Game”. “The Name of the Game” is an investigation into the design competition format – the currently dominating forum for gathering and presenting graphic design and its practitioners. Design competitions and awards function as a “seal of quality” towards public and clients, but on what terms? The study “The Name of the Game” investigate competitions as meeting places. Who participate in and benefit from competitions? What kind of work is promoted? Are there other ways to meet? How are design competitions deepening and expanding the graphic design discourse?

We wish to talk about how competition organizers – consciously or unconsciously – create standards for the type of design that is judged, and how the desire to compete could be related to for example class and gender. "The Name of the Game" aims to discuss competitions as an occupational health and safety issue by documenting how the well-being of designers relates to the podium. Which bodies and experiences are allowed to be "successful"?

By looking closely at design competitions, we wish to bring up questions about professionalism vs. amateurism, design vs. crafts, and competition in relation to quality.

Matilda Flodmark, Sara Kaaman and Maryam Fanni – all practising graphic designers – are a collective working with writing, teaching and research with a desire to expand the field of design critique and explore the relationships between word, image and society.

October 11, 2016

Association of Women Typographers

Lecture by Maryam Fanni and Sara Kaaman based on the work of Inger Humlesjö (1945–2016). ABF-huset, Stockholm

The typographers are known to have been militant throughout the ages, but what did it look like for the women in the profession? Inger Humlesjö researched the typographers' union struggle at the turn of the last century. Sara Kaaman and Maryam Fanni share a presentation based on Inger's work about the Association of Women Typographers and the working conditions of their members.

November 3, 2015

Feministisk Formbar #2, Stockholm

Panel discussion with MMS, Samira Bouabana & Angela Tillman Sperandio (Hall of Femmes) and Linda Nilsson on "Conditions and responsibilities of an equal industry". Moderator: Sara Teleman

March 7, 2012

Historieboken (The History Book)

Panel conversation with Gittan Jönsson, Annika Elmqvist, Pål Rydberg, AnnMari Langemar

Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts & Design, Stockholm

In the 1970s, four students at the Konstfack’s department of ”Advertising” created The History Book, telling the history of capitalism and colonialism through comics and narrative visuals. The book was a reaction to the distortion of history in mainstream history books, but also towards the expectations on students studying ”advertising” at the time, and how they should make use of their skills. Now, 40 years later, the creators return to Konstfack to tell us why and how the book came about, and we will discuss why the book is still relevant today. The History Book has been reprinted by Ordfront publishing in 2009 and is available for purchase.