A Printer's Record

[Dave Hughes]

Chris Sands has recently released this video of our old friend David Evans' move from his old premises in Halifax.

Says Chris:

Airdale Print in Halifax is an old style printers. There's no Digital here, but they carry on the dying art of Letterpress and Hot Metal Typography. The machines they use were designed in the 1850's and haven't changed much since. Massively complex, and incredibly beautiful to watch in motion.
Last year Airdale closed their premises of over 50 years to move to a shiny modern industrial estate. I asked to photograph the place in their last week at the old building. The history of people just filled the place, and Dave (who is in the pictures) told me many brilliant stories. He told me of how when he was 17 years old, he walked through the door there, and knew that he had found his vocation in life. He was quite tearful as we went around, as his formative hears were all here.
I felt a great privilege to have been let into this world, and as a complete typography nut, to see the old style of printing at work. This is really specialist stuff!
This film is a work in progress and I hope to create a permanent printed record of Airdale Print, but I also want to record Dave talking about it, so watch this space. Chris Sands
(music by the wonderful Hope & Social)

A Printer's Record.