Cambridge is a pretty interesting place to live what with all the colleges and the fact that walking 500 yards along Trinity Street will will reveal up to 600 years of architectural history.
My main interest however is not the historic centre but the other side of town.
The other side of town is miserable in the rain. Grittier. Urban. Dull. You walk past shopping malls, gyms, martial arts centres and grotty pubs. You spot small business premises that have long been boarded up. Fliers peel damply from lamp posts.
Hang a right and then a left. You penetrate an industrial estate.
Past the tile shops, the warehouses full of every type of bedroom furniture. Past the security firms and the precision engineering company. There is even a real level crossing to get over. And a narrow road seemingly going nowhere, just stretching into the horizon. Think early Wim Wenders.
Wandering back and forth for a while you finally locate a door and some modest signage. There may or may not be anyone at the entrance when you walk in.
It is just about the coolest place in town.
Visually it is quite compelling, printing equipment has a certain sculptural quality and it's got that art school smell.
There is a kind of unintentional steam punk aesthetic to printmaking studios. Especially this one.
Writing about people you barely know is risky. James and Sim. Open-minded, professional, friendly and helpful seems to sum it up.
There are websites knocking about in outer space or located in a data centre somewhere.
stbarnabaspress.webplus.net will get you started.
