Letterpress Printmaking Workshop with Alexandra Motiu

Join printmaker Alexandra Motiu for a relaxed drop-in session exploring the craft and history of letterpress printing.

Across two Saturday sessions, participants are invited to compose and print their own modern-day slogans using traditional letterpress type. Set short sentences or hopeful reminders in small type, then print several copies on specialist paper to take away and share with friends.

Letterpress printing was widely used in printing offices around the world for pamphlets and newspapers until the 1980s, when many industries transitioned to newer technologies. Alexandra’s research explores these moments of technological change, including events such as the Wapping Dispute in the UK, when many printworkers lost their jobs as printing technologies transformed the industry.

How to join

Saturday 4 April and Saturday 11 April, 2pm-3pm in the Communal Space.

No previous experience is required and all materials will be provided. These sessions are open to adults aged 18+.

This is a free, drop-in workshop. Donations are greatly appreciated and help us continue to deliver a free and accessible programme of exhibitions, workshops and community engagement.

About the artist

Alexandra Motiu is a printmaker and illustrator with a fine art background, specialising in relief printmaking, linocut, and wood engraving, with experience in etching, metal engraving, and monotype. Her work blends surreal imagery, humour, and an old-masters sensibility to create haunting, memorable prints.

Working intuitively through hand-carved processes, she explores storytelling, symbolism, and the human condition. Her imagery often draws on myth, folklore, and social memory, reflecting on themes of power, care, labour, and identity while embracing the imperfections and resistance of the material. Alexandra is deeply committed to the heritage of the craft while using it as a space for personal artistic exploration and contemporary reflection.