After honing his sheet forming skills by making hundreds of sheets of handmade paper and thus building up a store of acceptable folios, master papermaker Dion Channer began to ask himself, “What am I going to do with these pieces of paper?”
The question coincided with the South Australian Government in office at the time, (1980), deciding to relieve the unemployment situation by setting up vocational courses to retrain those who’d lost jobs.
Along he trotted, well, rode his bicycle actually, and thus began a life changing experience. One of the courses on offer was bookbinding. That’s what one does with hundreds of sheets of handmade paper.
His master was one of Australia’s best binders. A book he’d bound was given to the Japanese Emperor by the Australian Government so his skills were prodigious and he didn’t stint in passing them on to students in his class.
Shortly after beginning the course Dion asked him if he could eventually bind his handmade paper into books. His master welcomed the idea and that began, not just a learning experience but also a friendship that has endured since then.
In those halcyon days of the early 80’s Dion could not bind enough books to satisfy the demand – what an experience! The State Library of SA and the National Library in Canberra both honoured him by purchasing books he had made the paper for and bound.
Exhibitions were frequently on his agenda and collaborations with artists and artisans working in watercolour, silver and glass respectively added other dimensions to his books and scrolls. He made a point of never repeating a cover design so every book was/is unique.
Sadly, the demand for hand bound books made from handmade paper has diminished, few write now and even fewer do so with a fountain pen but the urge to bind books is in his blood and he does so in homage to his master and all those masters who have gone before and contributed to the art and craft of bookbinding by hand.
Onsite, Dion will be joined by print artist Mel. Together they will combine their expert knowledges in arts of papermaking and art printing, using a small etching press with binding presses in much the same way that the Guttenburg press was used.