August 2012.
Artist Lloyd Schermer has recently completed another large wall sculpture. Commissioned by Associated Press, Lloyd was invited to produce a sculpture to be sited in the front foyer of the AP building.
The type sculpture’s outline and shape suggests an open newspaper or journal, it has been crafted by Lloyd utilising his vast collection of antique wooden and metal type and features an actual AP Teletype machine, mounted on a wooden plinth at its centre.
Lloyd has created many sculptures, among his clients are the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Washington Post, The New York Times Conference Centre and University of Montana, School of Journalism.
With his origins in newspaper publishing, Lloyd was surrounded by the very material that would ultimately become his extraordinary sculptures and monotypes. Like all newspapers in the 1960’s, Schermer’s paper was printed using hot metal typeset technology; methods that evolved from the manual technique of placing wooden or metal letters by hand, into page forms, aligned, inked, then printed. Technology changed and soon the news was printed using Offset Lithography. Simultaneously, millions of blocks of wood type, many hand carved, others a century old, became obsolete. Seen as useless, virtually all of this material was discarded and destroyed.
Fortunately, Schermer saw the beauty in these little gems. He held onto his own private cache. As Lloyd likes to remind his collectors, “You are dealing with two diminishing resources: antique type and me!"
Above, the AP Sculpture.
Type is part of history and the story of communication. Before Gutenberg, type was made by carving wood, which was slow and expensive. Then in 1977 he discovered how to make molds of letters into which molten metal was poured. He revolutionized communications. Printing books, leaflets, and posters were now made quickly and inexpensively.
In Schermer’s work, the impact of this change is captured in man’s most lasting medium – art.
Cross Graphics is proud to offer items of Lloyd’s work FOR SALE through the Cross website.
So why not adorn your boardroom, office or company foyer with a piece of printing history turned into an outstanding item of art. Check out some of the items in our shop or if you are interested in commissioning Lloyd, send us an enquiry email.
