Instructional Science by Barron M. Hirsch (review)

82 Books plethora of facilities but no starting points and no structure related directly to the logic ofthe aesthetic experience. Of course, this is not easy to provide, indeed some success would follow if we could find a graphic equivalent of an haiku. I have dwelt only on some of the practical matters to be found in this book but there are lots more goodies especially in the field of ideas. Of course there is the expected offering from Max Bense 'The Projects of Generative Aesthetics' and I agree with almost everything he writes. But for stimulation I suggest reading Stefan Themerson. The word 'Ideas' in the title ofthe book has extended the scope of the book considerably and allowed Jasia Reichardt to include a very odd bunch of articles. I am grateful, for if she had not, I might never have come across Themerson's amazing situations. Indeed, I might never have understood how a mathematical biopianola could interact with a 'Nonobody' with sixlegs, three pairs ofantennae and I'm-not-sure-how-many apertures. What relevance have featherless bipeds (men) to such an ultraintelligent machine? Maybe the machine will recommend our extinction. Screen Printing. J. I. Biegeleisen. Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1971. 160 pp., illus. $12.50. Reviewed by: Ruth Faerber* The author, one of the foremost authorities on screen printing in the U.S.A., practitioner and teacher, has already to his credit various articles and an extensive list of books on this subject. He says in his opening chapter: 'Screen printing has earned the universal acceptance as one of the artist's most versatile idioms for creatings, as well as duplicating works of art.' In other words, the process has survived (and been victorious) after its checkered history, both as a fine art and a commercial medium. The factor that attracted both fields was the relatively simple stencil-based procedure that requires inexpensive equipment installed in an easily organized workshop and that produces quick and varied results. The feedback between the two fields has continued since the early 1900's, even though not so long ago the development of the screen printing method as a commercial craft cast a shadow over its acceptance in the fine arts. Today the overlapping of art and technology has blurred categorical definitions and broadened attitudes of acceptance. In the case of screen printing, new avenues have opened for the making of unique and vital print images. The author traces the development of this method with fascinating examples of early stencil prints (Fiji Islanders using banana leaves as a stencil base with vegetables dyes printed on bark cloth). He discusses the first use ofthe silk screen as a carrier for the stencil; commercial applications for short-run display methods (coinciding with the emergence ofchain stores) and subsequent technical * 69 Headland Road, Castle Cove 2069, N.S.W., Australia. improvement in stencil preparation; the autographical print as a fine art medium and, finally, the photo-stencil technique, which makes the artist and the craftsman interdependent. However, this is essentially a practical book. It gives by means of the text, by step-by-step drawings and by abundant reproductions (in colour and black and white) concise and comprehensive information for both the professional and amateur. He discusses the initial planning of a workshop, the choice and care of equipment, materials, methods, possible problems and, more important, their solutions. Traditional and new techniques are discussed involving blockout, touche, paper, film and photographic stencils. Valuable hints are given on estimating quantities and the relevant choice of inks (oil, water, lacquer, dyes, emulsion). Remarkable and extensive possibilities are opened up in the chapter discussing diverse base materials, such as plastics, fur, textiles and papers. A chapter is included on jig arrangements for printing on odd shaped or rounded objects. The mixing and matching of colours, the opacity and transparent possibilities of overprintingand methods ofregistration are fully covered. This is the most complete and informative volume on this subject I have seen. Instructional Science. (A quarterly journal) Vol. 1 No.1. Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972. Personal subscription, $14.20; institutions, $27.30. Reviewed by: Barron M. Hirsch* Put away your textbooks of chemistry and physics...