Janet Antich: [0:00:16] Janet Antich is my name, and I was here for the Session 5 graphics with Matt Shlian and Valpuri Remling, which was called “Rolling and Folding.” Everyone had a different interpretation of what that might mean. I think even the teachers possibly were not sure. But Matt’s work, in particular, is very mathematical in nature. If you watch paper movies, there’s Paul Jackson and people who do things where they just fold it organically and work with it that way. That works for many people, but his stuff is really geometrical, mathematical, and a lot of those forms – it’s actually really hard to do it if you’re just folding it by hand because if you’re off even just a little bit, the whole system doesn’t work. So, being able to plot the diagrams in a really specific way. Part of the process – some of us knew Illustrator, some of us didn’t – because the laser cutter works best with Illustrator files, but you could also build them in Rhino [Rhinoceros 3D], which is something Arthur [Hash] knew really well. So he was able to help people if they came with just a picture or an image in a book; you could scan it, but it still wouldn’t recognize it as lines, so you’d have to trace it. Then, in Illustrator, if it’s slightly off, you’ve lost your thing again. That was really helpful. He could draw them in Rhino and make them a mathematical geometrical pattern. Then we could export that to Illustrator and just set up the line weights so then you have a perfectly rendered – and we would perforate them mostly so your folds can go either way. Because most of these complicated folds – it’s like a series of mountain and valley folds, so up and down. It was really helpful to be able to perforate it, to be able to score it, and then to get a really crisp, clean cut. Some types of folds work really well in the organic shape and pinching with your fingers, but not all of them.

Galen Koch: [0:02:23] Did you have experience with working with this type of equipment before?

Janet Antich: [0:02:28] Actually, just the laser cutter. I came in 2019 to a one-week session that was called Flat Objects, which was actually in the metals workshop, but we did some stuff in the Fab Lab, which – I can’t remember now if that – I think it was described as it might be part of it because we could basically go figure out an image we wanted to work with and make that part of our piece. I used mostly the laser cutter then, too, and the vinyl cutter, but same idea; you have to have that Illustrator file and cut out a thing. So, I had used the laser cutter before.

Galen Koch: [0:03:06] So then you were the teaching assistant. It sounds like you were in the lab a lot.

Janet Antich: [0:03:13] I know. I was like, God, I got a badge and everything.

Galen Koch: [0:03:16] Got to show your badge. You can just hold it up.

Janet Antich: [0:03:17] Yeah. I’m really proud of my badge that I got for this session, “Honorary Resident.” Matt would have files that he would want to show as an example, so he’d say, “Hey, can you take this lab and print it?” So I’d come do that. And then some people were learning, what can we even do? So they’d find this picture in a book, and I’d help them do it. One woman had some resources from a different class that was all PDF files. Those we could kind of just pull into Illustrator and then change the line weights and things so they could plot out. I did a few of my own things and lots of other class things, but it was fun. I felt like that was my job because Matt was the expert folder, Valpuri is the expert printmaker, and I was just helping people get source files if they wanted to work with them.

Galen Koch: [0:04:03] You had already used the laser cutter in that one workshop. So when you came back –?

Janet Antich: [0:04:10] Yeah, I had just come that week and used it. I don’t have access to a laser cutter at home. There are maker spaces, and really, since then, I’ve been like, “Oh, I want to go to use a maker space.” But every time then, you have to pay a monthly fee. I work as an animator, and I don’t often have – if I’m on a deadline, I do not have much time to use it. So I’m always like, “Oh, I’ll wait until I have time,” and then I never do. So, it’s really fun to be able to use it.

Galen Koch: [0:04:37] Yeah, that’s great. How do you think it changed the workshop for students?

Janet Antich: [0:04:44] Many of them were very kind and were like, “Oh, you’re so helpful. You helped me so much.” Because I think it is sort of mystifying when you’re just like – well, and also, I know Illustrator a little bit. I don’t really like to draw in it very much. I find it a little clunky, but I know enough how to set up the files and make a shape that’s proportional and stuff. I think that helps because some people are coming in with no knowledge of those programs, even though I think a lot of people do now; a lot of people just don’t work in it at all. So I think that that can be really intimidating when you’re like, “Okay, I see this picture, and I see what I can do, but I don’t understand how to get from here to here with it.” Those guys, because they’re running all those machines, there’s a lot to handle. So, I was like, “Okay, well, I’ll just help people – at least everybody get one file they can work with” because I think some people were like, “Oh, this is an interesting possibility, but I don’t even know how to get from this to that.” That’s a lot to try to do, even two weeks, but that’s a short amount of time if you’re trying to do all this other stuff. So I was like, “Okay, what diagram do you have? What do you want? I’ll help you do this.” Then, often, once we had the file, we could print a few copies for different people so they can be templates.

Galen Koch: [0:05:56] Were the pieces that had perforations final pieces? Are they used for studies?

Janet Antich: [0:06:05] Yes, it depends. I mean, some of both. I got to print on a couple – yeah, I think I got to use them for some. Most people did. Some people took those templates home, and they’re going to wait and print on it later. I think at first, everyone was thinking we would have to print the paper first and then laser cut it, but actually, if you did perforations, it worked pretty well to cut it first, and then you could print it. That was part of the workflow – when do we print? When do we laser cut? When do we do whatever? But the good thing [about] laser cutting on paper is it’s really fast. It’s not like the engraving that can take hours and hours. And for printing, I printed masks to be used for different layers in the printing process, so that was another really good use of the laser cutter, just as a prep for that stuff. For a lot of us, it was a really essential part of this workshop.

Galen Koch: [0:07:01] Great. Thank you. Actually, the only thing is, since I interviewed Elliot [Clapp] and Arthur, maybe just saying your experience with the Fab Lab assistants, the Fab Lab residents. That would be great.

Janet Antich: [0:07:23] Yeah, Elliot and Arthur – they’re wonderful people. If you’ve met them, they’re so funny and kind and generous with their time. I don’t think they ever made anybody feel like they weren’t welcome, even though I’m sure sometimes they’re like, “You’re coming at the end of the day?” They just always did everything with a good sense of humor and helped to keep the atmosphere really friendly and open. I know a few times it was finishing cutting, and it was 11:55, and they were like, “You’re good,” because they knew I would clean up the space and everything.

Galen Koch: [0:07:52] 11:55 at night?

Janet Antich: [0:07:54] No. Sorry. No, right before lunchtime.

Galen Kock [0:07:56] Oh, right before lunch.

Janet Antich: [0:07:57] But rather than being like, “We got to go,” they were like, “You’re fine. Finish and close up.” They knew I would take care of it. I feel like that’s nice, though, because a lot of people are like – they allowed for some flexibility. They were very helpful because sometimes I’d just be cutting stuff for people and was like, “Bring me the files.” But then, if somebody had this diagram that was a messy scan, they would help bring it in, draw it, and send it. So it really helped the workflow, too, because otherwise, it would have been me with all these files. So, it was great just having somebody who kind of knew the software and could help everyone set it up. I think [it] was good for everyone and helped them be able to help everybody else with their stuff.

Galen Koch: [0:08:38] Yeah, sounds like it was very seamless in a way.

Janet Antich: [0:08:40] Yeah, they were so great. I really enjoyed working with them.