I really like to visit all kinds of art & design fairs and exhibition, but I never been to Art Up! yet, an annual art fair which is taking place next week from 25 to 28 February in Lille (FR). And as it is only an hour drive from Gent I think I will be heading to Lille next weekend.
When reading the program I've discovered that there are various workshops involved. The printing workshops & demonstrations caught my attention the most, as they will be given by various French art schools and institutions, such as Ecole Supérieure d’Art du Nord-Pas de Calais, Imprimerie Nationale and Musée du Dessin et de l’Estampe Originale de Gravelines. There will be a lithographic workshop called ‘Kitchen lithography”, where postcards will be printed using materials available in the kitchen such as soda, oil or aluminium foil. Alexis Trousset representing Ecole Supérieure d’Art du Nord-Pas de Calais will raise the question of "why do we actually need engraving today?" during his workshop. And Nelly Gable (the one and only female punch-cutter) from Imprimerie Nationale will demonstrate the making of the typographic punches, typesetting process & intaglio techniques.
According to the information on the website, no extra fee is required to follow the workshops, so I will definitely check it out as I know almost nothing about the French contemporary printing scene.