Last February (public always do with some delay) I was in Sao Paulo, on a visit to a friend. To combine business with pleasure, by Giò Fuga , I contacted (before departure) L ' Tipografica Oficina do Sao Paul or run by Marcos Mello and Claudio Rocha (Director, inter alia, Tipoitalia ). After a couple of emails, Marcos asked me to participate in a workshop Printing lasting one day. Enthusiastic welcome and introduced me to Senai on Saturday (where the seat of the Oficina). Arrive an hour late, but despite this, the atmosphere is warm. Marcos introduced me to his two assistants and students, offers me coffee and biscuits and shows me all the space. The Oficina is housed in an industrial shed, very large, with a temperature similar to the Amazon rainforest. Apart from this detail, everything else is nothing short of extraordinary: full closets crammed with bills of every kind, two linotype fully functional (one Italian and one heildelberg can not remember the name), printing machines, tirabozze. In short, a classic pre-digital printing.
After a quick review of the theory and instrumentation, via the first year of free composition of characters. We say that could be better, there is the intention, familiarity with the characters to lead is yet to come. Lunch with two huge sfilatini by about one meter (seems to be common in Brazil) and guarana in rivers. Jacaré (I think you write well), the Director of linotype, you lancja in a series of anecdotes related to his work as a typographer, including the one from which it derives its name (if not always I misunderstood you Jacare was the name of the printing press on which he worked in the printing of a newspaper). I understand half the words but they are all widely available in front of my effort and in the end that goes well Jacaré, when he was a trade unionist, was visiting Italy.
The afternoon is entirely devoted to the creation of a business card. Wanting a better look at all the Oficina, will prepare a very very simple and quite mysterious, and in the meantime I am continuing my work of "espionage." At the end of the day Marcos also shows us the pieces of decorative typographical late nineteenth century and a series of giant wooden character of Italian production. The day ends and, not satisfied with the workshop, lunch, cafes and business cards, Marcos offered to take me home.
We look to see us the next day or a week, on my return from Florianopolis and before my return to Italy. Unfortunately, we can not combine any of these things and we are only by phone shortly before departure.
And here are the tickets, with the matrix linotype mail address and various types of paper (including some made in the laboratory of paper Senai), arrived by mail the other day.
photos of the "trip" here are
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