A digital distraction? The role of digital tools and distributed intelligence in woodblock printmaking practice

ABSTRACT Artists’ adoption of CNC devices and related technologies is making possible novel printmaking processes and variations on techniques. Such changes suggest a need to broaden our understanding of what constitutes a print under contemporary technological conditions. This article looks at the human-machine relationship and the state of creative cognition in the act of woodblock printmaking. Connections between the printmaker’s and programmer’s notions of creating lines indicate different ways of thinking-drawing space and position the resulting 2D print not just as the transfer of ink from block to paper but also existing as lines of code and as a 3D space. By drawing parallels between the embodied yet distributed act of traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking and the experience of CNC computerized carving in the work of Mike Lyon, I explore how woodblock printmaking might facilitate a productive collaboration with digital carving technologies.