Rejin Leys, Paper Making, and The Pulp Mobile

The other day while I was driving my sleepy snoring kids home, a fascinating interview on NPR aired- with a very cool artist who makes paper, and travels around NYC (Queens, mostly) with what she calls a “PulpMobile” to share with and show people how to do it. Her name was Rejin Leys.  I decided to contact her and feature her here for your reading pleasure. Not only is paper-making so great because it delves into visiting something that we have all used millions of times during our lives here on the earth that grows the trees its made of, but it also lets us stop and hopefully think a bit longer about each piece of paper that we use or read.  As she states on her Tumblr site,  “After years of lugging supplies in bags and buckets to do paper making projects with groups in various locations, this Fall I’m launching the PulpMobile to more easily work with people in my neighborhood: Jamaica, NY. The PulpMobile is a fully stocked paper-making studio on a cart, which I’ll roll out to local parks, plazas and block parties. Passersby of all ages can join me and learn to make beautiful new sheets of paper out of recycled materials (junk mail, flyers, school worksheets, damaged books …) with some dried flowers, confetti or glitter thrown in for fun.”

When I asked her about her inspiration to make paper, and her favorite types to make, she said, “Shortly after college I learned to make paper during an internship at the Women’s Studio Workshop (www.wsworkshop.org in Rosendale, NY), but it was years later when I realized how much paper I go through that I decided that making some of it should be central to my work. That’s when I started figuring out how to set up a simple hand papermaking studio at home with basic-equipment. There are lots of plant fibers that can be used, but I mainly use recycled paper. Many people ask if I use newspaper, but because there is so much higher quality discarded paper available (junk mail, office paper, handouts on colored paper from school, flyers …) it’s easy to find enough material to make prettier, nicer quality paper.”

I asked her what she does with all of the paper she makes. “I sometimes draw on handmade paper, make books, book covers or endpapers with them, and occasionally write a note or a letter. Participants in my workshops often make paper so decorative and beautiful that it can be displayed as-is.” Of course I needed to know what her simple home recipe is for parents at home who want to try this with their kids. “Choose some good paper from the recycling bin (remove any staples, tape, clear windows form envelopes, …) and tear into approx. 1” pieces. Add a hand full of torn paper to a blender filled 3/4 with water, and blend until it looks smooth. Do this a few times until you have a small bucket of pulp. If you have enough colored paper, make different batches and you can paint with pulp. paperslurry.com has lots of links and resources, including how to make your own mould & deckle.” Rejin was also stating how paper-making is mostly used as an activity that “changes the relationship to the resources that we’re surrounded by.” What a great message to send to children, especially! She states, “I learned paper-making because I work almost exclusively on paper, and paper-making has become central to the more social side of my practice.  At first I taught workshops, but found I learned as much as the participants. While I made blank, white paper to draw on, non-artists would often treat paper as an expressive media. So my format has shifted away from a “teaching” model, towards a model where paper-making is an opportunity for creative collaboration. This point of view reminds me that as an artist I always have more to learn, and gives me the opportunity to find a creative community where ever I go.”