the edward johnston foundation ejf

EJF

22 LETTER ARTS REVIEW • 2003 • VOLUME 18 NUMBER 4

by Gareth Colgan

In 1994 a small exhibition was held inDitchling Museum to commemoratethe fiftieth anniversary of Edward

Johnston’s death.The idea for the exhibitioncame from Hilary Bourne, a co-founder ofthe Museum who knew Edward Johnston inher childhood. At the same time she alsosuggested that a permanent calligraphystudy center should be set up in Ditchling.Gerald Fleuss had organized the exhibitionand together with Ewan Clayton and PatriciaGidney formed the Edward JohnstonFoundation to try and realize this.

The aims of the Foundation are as fol-lows: (i) To establish an archive and librarywhich will support teaching and researchand provide accessible data for use by all;(ii) to build a collection of contemporarywork which is international in scope; (iii)to develop a full educational program in calligraphy and allied subjects; and (iv) toinitiate research into new electronic media.The fulfillment of these goals would be anongoing project and progress has beenmade with all of them.

The library and collection are already

The Edward JohnstonFoundation

was, in the words of John Nash, “a design-er, illustrator, calligrapher, wood engraver,signwriter, lettercarver and a master (per-haps the last) of fine engraved lettering inwood in the tradition of Reynolds Stone.”Without the intervention of the EJF, repre-sented by John Nash and Gerald Fleuss, allof this work (drawings and rubbings ofinscriptions, design drawings and pullsfrom engravings etc.) would have beenreduced to ashes.

The Library has received donations ofbooks from the estate of Heather Child,from Ann Hechle and a particularly sub-stantial one from the late Bob DuVivier,erstwhile head of the Lettering course atthe City & Guilds of London Art School,whose collection was generously passed tothe EJF by John Nash, to whom it wasoriginally bequeathed. Hermann Zapf hasalso been a benefactor in this respect as inmany others. Upon being invited to be theHonorary President of the Foundation heagreed immediately and with enthusiasm.He and his wife have visited Ditchling anumber of times in recent years as guestsof the EJF.

It is intended that a complete cata-logue of the collection will be made avail-able.This work was begun on a voluntarybasis but it was soon realized that such alarge quantity of material would require adedicated permanent staff so this has beentemporarily discontinued and will beresumed when funding becomes available.

The educational program must also waitfor funding that would allow suitable prem-ises to be purchased. In the meantime theEJF has been pursuing its educational aimsby other means. It successfully applied for agrant worth approximately $175,000 fromthe Arts Council of England to allow it, inconjunction with Ditchling Museum, tostage three exhibitions curated by EwanClayton and to put on other related eventsall under the banner Lettering Today andTomorrow.That this project was so great asuccess is a tribute to all those involved.

“Handwriting: Everyone’s Art” was thefirst of these exhibitions.This comprised anumber of items indicating the historicaldevelopment of handwriting and as itsmajor part both formal and ephemeral workfrom thirteen international calligraphers, theintention being to demonstrate the relation-ship between ordinary handwriting used foreveryday purposes and its practice as asophisticated art.

The grant enabled new work to becommissioned for the exhibition from AnnHechle and David Howells. This took theform of two journals. Ann’s journal detailedher investigation of sacred geometry.Thiscommission has been important to her,

25LETTER ARTS REVIEW • 2003 • VOLUME 18 NUMBER 4

THE EDWARD JOHNSTON FOUNDATION

allowing a great deal of her thinking on theartistic process – how things ‘cohere’ in lifeand in works of art – to find an appropriateform. David Howells’ journal records indrawings, poems and commentary theprogress of his garden through the seasons.Both commissions are significant additionsto the EJF collection.

A series of lectures on a wide variety oftopics was organized to run during the exhi-

bition, and a number of workshops wereheld for children and adults. DavidMekelburg taught two two-day workshops inthe village and a color photograph of him atwork appeared in one of the national papers.An ‘open studio’ was set up for a day tointroduce all and sundry to the delights (orotherwise!) of broad pen and ink.Therewere guided tours of the exhibition anddemonstrations of various aspects of the cal-ligraphers craft, notably one on gilding bySam Somerville.This “held Hermann andGudrun Zapf spellbound for an entire morn-ing and afterwards Hermann said ‘That wasabsolute perfection!’” (from the account inEJF Journal no. 4). Sam Somerville has beena very active supporter of the EJF since thebeginning, much to its benefit.

A book was published to accompanythe exhibition. Some forty pieces of workare reproduced, including an offprint of apage from Feder und Stichel of a quotationfrom Edward Johnston at the bottom ofwhich Hermann Zapf has written, ‘inmemory of my master for I owe his book,Writing, & Illuminating, &Lettering mycalligraphy’. There are articles by EwanClayton, Sally Mae Joseph (Sally Teague asshe was then) and John Nash. EwanClayton’s characteristically broad-rangingarticle looks at how handwriting wastaught over the centuries since theRenaissance, and how this reflected devel-opments in society as a whole. John Nashdeals with the revival of italic in the twen-tieth century, and Sally Mae Joseph writesabout the Journal commissions.Incidentally, this catalogue and all the otherEJF publications mentioned below was

designed by Gerald Fleuss who took tocomputers with an enviable facility thoughhaving no experience of them prior to1995. He has since developed a considerableexpertise of great benefit to the efficientworking of the EJF.

“Font: Calligraphy and Type Design in aDigital Age” was the second of the grant-aided events. Gerald Fleuss quoted the fol-



lowing from Robert Bringhurst’s The Elementsof Typographic Style as epitomizing the theme:“Typography is the craft of endowinghuman language with a durable visual form,and thus with an independent existence. Itsheartwood is calligraphy – the dance, on atiny stage, of the living, speaking hand –and its roots reach into living soil, thoughits branches may be hung each year withnew machines. So long as the root lives,typography remains a source of true delight,true knowledge, true surprise.” Its aim wasto show the continuing relevance of calligra-phy and practiced skill in hand-drawn letter-forms to computer type design.To achievethis the exhibition concentrated on onedesigner, Sumner Stone, and one of hisdesigns, “Basalt,” showing all the stages inits production, from inspiration and influ-ences through early sketches and workingdrawings, to the final digitizations andexamples of the type in use. Sumner Stonewas invited to exhibit for a number of rea-sons, which will be well known to mostreaders of this journal: principally, his back-ground as a student of calligraphy withLloyd Reynolds and his influential positionas Director of Typography for Adobe Systemsbetween 1984 and 1990, which put him atthe center of developments in the transitionto digital typography in its most criticalperiod. Mr. Stone now acts as one of thedirectors of the EJF.

The exhibition also featured the work ofa number of other designers: RobertSlimbach and Carol Twombly from AdobeSystems, Jovica Veljovic, Jean-FrançoisPorchez, Michael Harvey and of courseHermann Zapf. A film highlighting his latesttype, “Zapfino”, was being shown on a newMac G4, the purchase of which was madepossible by the grant. The exhibition subse-quently traveled to a number of differentvenues in the UK. Gallery talks, evening lec-tures and a two-day workshop with JovicaVeljovic on digitizing written forms (held atthe University of Brighton) were organizedand all were well attended.

In addition to the above, but withoutArts Council funding, the EJF held a two-dayseminar called “Pen to Printer.”This broughttogether about fifty people of varied profes-sional backgrounds – printers and publish-ers, historians, book and type designers, cal-ligraphers, teachers and computer scientists– for a sunny weekend of lectures and dis-cussions (continued in the evenings with theaddition of beer and happily in my casemore malt scotch than I can afford inDublin!).The seminar was opened byHermann Zapf and chaired by Justin Howesand the speakers were Sumner Stone,Michael Harvey, Sam Somerville,Tom Perkinsand Dr. David Levy. John Dreyfus, who wasalso due to speak, was unfortunately taken illshortly before the date so that his paper wasread by Richard Southall. Sadly, Mr. Dreyfuswho had been a Patron of the EJF, died inJanuary of this year.The EJF decided as aresult of the success of this seminar toorganize one each year, and the two subse-quent seminars have been equally enjoyable.Speakers at the Seminar in 2004 will includeMatthew Carter, Ieuan Rees and Germansculptor/lettercutter Wolfgang Jakob.

A book was produced to accompany theexhibition which also contained some ofthe material given at the seminar.There is anexcellent and well-illustrated essay on“Basalt” by its designer and a reprint of anessay from 1995 by Dr. Levy, a computerscientist and former researcher at XeroxPARC who studied calligraphy atRoehampton under Ann Camp. Entitled“Slouching Towards Cyberspace: the Place ofthe Lettering Arts in a Digital Era,” it is ahistorically informed meditation on ourneed to both welcome the opportunitiesprovided by the new tools while remember-ing that calligraphy “in its intent and prac-tice ... stands at a remove from – indeed inopposition to – some of the directions inwhich today’s technologies are moving us.”We are part of a tradition “concerned withthe intimate relationships between people,tools, materials, artefacts and language” and



our making requires of usa degree of “concentratedawareness” which can beunderstood best, asJohnston understood itand as Dr. Levy points out,in its relation to religioustraditions (I rememberthat Simone Weil oncedefined prayer simply as“perfect attention”).Thatso many of us (even dustystonecarvers) are begin-ning to make use of thesetools puts us strangelyboth in the rearguard andthe advance party at thesame time which gives usa unique perspective on

the process of developing our technology sothat it serves us rather than the other wayaround. “Man tyrannized over by the workof his own hands,” St Augustine’s propheticdefinition of idolatry, seems more appropri-ate to our own age than to the closing yearsof the Roman Empire, including as it doesnot just our tools and technology but thoseother things we are wont to create and wor-ship through sacrifice, namely secular (total-itarian) and religious (that is to say funda-mentalist) ideologies. But I digress!

There are two further essays in the book.“Watch this Space” by John Dreyfus concernsthe use of space to create rhythm (“the com-mon factor in all the arts”) in typography.Dreyfus gives the following definition ofrhythm as best conveying the sense in whichhe uses it: “due correlation and interdepend-ence of parts, producing an harmonious

whole.”This definition is equally appropriatefor the results of Tom Perkins’ geometricanalysis of the proportions of Roman capitalsdescribed in the second article.These arebased on two rectangles that recur to definekey points: the golden rectangle and the rec-tangle in the mathematically related propor-tion of 1:5. I well remember Tom’s delightsome years ago, which I shared, at discover-ing the astonishing fidelity to these simpleproportions displayed by the letters in theTrajan inscription.The resultant system ishighly practical, coherent and elegant andhas merit in its own right over and above theacademic question of whether it, or a similarsystem, was in fact used by our predecessorsin Rome, although I think that John Nash isright to say that this, “in the absence of rea-soned counter-argument,” seems “eminentlyplausible” (SSI Journal, Spring 2003). Forthose who are interested, the EJF published asmall book of photographs of Perkins’ workin 1998 which is still available.

The final event in the Lettering Todayand Tomorrow series was Spring Lines:Contemporary Calligraphy from East and West[Reviewed in these pages,Vol. 17, No. 1].The exhibition was held first in DitchlingMuseum in the summer of 2001 and subse-quently at The Prince’s Foundation inLondon in February 2002.The Prince’sFoundation was set up in 1999 by ThePrince of Wales to promote a return ofhuman values to architecture and urbanplanning.The Prince came to the exhibitionhimself, spent a good deal more time view-ing it than he had been scheduled to, andwas heard to observe “wonderful, wonder-ful” on departing!



This was certainly the most adven-turous of the three events, requiring agreat deal of research with a steep learn-ing curve and the establishment of con-tacts both around the globe and withthe relevant cultural institutions inBritain. Since I am unacquainted withthe Islamic and Far Eastern traditions Iam not in a position to give an overviewof what may have been achieved, apartfrom the obvious achievement of bring-ing together work from some of thefinest contemporary representatives ofthese traditions and displaying it along-side work of similar quality from ourown.The western calligraphers werechosen on the basis of a perceived affin-ity with these traditions; they were:Hans-Joachim Burgert, Thomas Ingmire,Brody Neuenschwander, Ewan Clayton,John Stevens and Emiko Kinebuchi.

As in previous years the EJF wasable to commission work, and in thiscase the commission went to ThomasIngmire, who made a series of “writingexperiments;” single sheets in black inkon handmade paper gathered together in abox, investigating the border between legi-bility and readability, the point where the“random process of seeing is taken over bythe linear process of reading.” For this heused different methods, departing bydegrees from the traditional nature of writ-ing.The first is one in which the standardapproach to the design of letters is pushedmuch further than normal but the relation-ship between the resultant form and the tra-ditional one is direct; the second methodcould be called cryptographic in which thisrelationship is arbitrary, but the resultantforms are related to one another by thenature of the marks used; and finally a sortof, dare I say it, “fake writing” in which allthat remains is this relationship of formsthrough graphic technique but with no textinvolved – this has parallels with modernJapanese work.

The EJF further commissioned Kazuaki

Tanahashi to give a demonstration of hisbrush calligraphy on Ditchling village green.He also took part in a tea ceremony, and itwas rightly said that Ditchling had not seenanything like it since Shoji Hamada andSoetsu Yanagi visited in the 1920s.

A book was produced once again toaccompany the exhibition. It contains, alongwith reproductions (some in color) of anumber of the works displayed, articles onthe present state of calligraphy in China andthe Islamic world, the rise of avant-gardecalligraphy in Japan (fascinating), anaccount by Ingmire of the EJF commissionand a reprint of an article by Tanahashi orig-inally published in Letter Arts Review, “EastAsian Calligraphy: A Cross-CulturalPerspective.”This catalogue could serve verywell as an introduction for western calligra-phers to contemporary oriental work.

The prototypical catalogue for the 1994exhibition “Sharpness, Unity & Freedom,”though not strictly an EJF product, is also




worthy of mention. It contains among oth-ers an essay by Ewan Clayton of more thanpassing interest. “Edward Johnston and theContinuing Tradition in Calligraphy” is areview of the spread of Johnston’s influencefrom England to Europe and America and itssubsequent fortunes.This is followed by apersonal meditation on the deeper signifi-cance for Johnston of the concepts of sharp-ness, unity and freedom and how theseideas were for him the expression of “a pas-sionately and deeply held point of view oras he put it himself ‘a Vision.’” Johnstonheld this “Vision” in common with many ofthe figures of the Arts & Crafts Movementand those influenced by it, such as theaforementioned Shoji Hamada, the masterpotter and one of the leaders of the Mingeior folk-crafts movement in Japan. In a foot-note to a later article on Hamada (EJFJournal no. 3), Clayton says: “In my viewthe original purpose and potential of suchmovements is to encourage what I think ofas ‘the life that unifies’ offering possibilitiesfor individuals to work at reintegratingwhatever may have been split asunder bydualistic divisions of experience or thoughtboth on an individual and more global level.In this perspective the craftsperson becomesnot just Maker but Healer, a locus for reunit-ing certain primary things that various con-ditions of life have separated.” Clayton hasnot as yet dealt at length with this themebut it is to be hoped that he may do so infuture, as this is one aspect of Johnston’swork that receives very little attention today.

That the Edward Johnston Foundationhas so far succeeded in engaging with all ofthe varied aspects of contemporary calligra-phy and lettering should be evident and Ihope that this will continue to be the case inthe future.The natural and important linkswith the world of type and typography willcertainly be maintained; maintaining linkswith the oriental traditions and those whocan interpret them to us however may provemore difficult but the effort of explorationshould be continued as it could be very

fruitful for the developing freedom of ourown tradition. While dealing with the latesttechnological and artistic advances theFoundation continues to its credit to respectthe “fine and sound ordinary work” of less-er known calligraphers, lettercutters, sign-writers and engravers both living and dead.This is to acknowledge that there is “nohigh culture without low culture” to useWendell Berry’s phrase; ‘culture’ being giventhat inclusive meaning Lethaby gave it whenhe said, “Culture should be thought of asnot only book-learning, but as a temperedhuman spirit. A shepherd, ship-skipper orcarpenter enjoys a different culture from thebook-scholar, but it is nonetheless a trueculture.”

The work the Edward JohnstonFoundation has succeeded in doing over thelast nine years is the most encouragingdevelopment in English calligraphy I’ve seensince I was a student fourteen years ago. Apermanent and internationally oriented cal-ligraphy study center is a worthy goal and itis heartening to see that the continuingefforts of Gerald Fleuss and Patricia Gidneyhave met with a very positive response.Theywould not have been able to succeed to sucha degree without the assistance (almost allvoluntary) of a great many people most ofwhom I have not been able to mention butwho all deserve thanks.If you wish to sup-port the work of the Foundation the sim-plest way to do so is by becoming aColleague, for information contact:TheEdward Johnston Foundation,The OldSchool House, Church Lane, Ditchling, EastSussex BN6 8TB, UK, or e-mail [email protected].

Gareth Colgan studied calligraphy first as a schoolboy andthen for three years at Roehampton where he was awardedthe advanced diploma with Distinction in 1992, he waselected a fellow of the SSI in the same year. He thenworked as assistant to Tom Perkins for two years learningto draw and carve inscriptions. He now works as alettercutter in Ireland.



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