Unpress 紙漿合作社

We Print Photobooks with RISO About a year before we founded our RISO studio in LA, we had already been running Unpress / 紙漿合作社, an independent publishing collective, for around two years. In the beginning, we were simply three photography graduates from California College of the Arts who loved making books. Later, one of our members moved to Toronto, acquired a RISO printer, and founded a Risograph print studio. Since then, we have been making photobooks with RISO more and more frequently. James Wicks is an artist and documentary filmmaker from San Diego. Exactly one year ago, he submitted a photography series to us by email: a body of work made during his time living in Taiwan, focusing on street potted plants. After a year of preparation, the book was finally printed in four colors on RISO by our Unpress member in Toronto, who also runs our sister RISO printshop, @someprintstudio . This April, the project was officially published as a limited-edition photobook of 100 copies: Plants as Roadblock as Graffiti Tomorrow, May 8 at 1 PM, James Wicks will be signing books at the @unpressedpatch booth, K10, at the LA Art Book Fair.

Join us for the book launch: Plants as Roadblock as Graffiti, a photobook by James Wicks @jawicks75 , foreword by @karenanhwei . Published by Unpress, this book is printed in four-color Risograph by @someprintstudio . Plants as Roadblock as Graffiti is a photobook that looks at the streets of Taiwan through the quiet presence of ordinary plants. In many neighborhoods in Taiwan, potted plants are placed along the roadside. Sometimes it is to mark territory, sometimes to slow down traffic, sometimes simply to exist. Through Wicks’ photography and book design by Unpress, the book reveals a vibrant street ecology where plants, scooters, and cars coexist in the dense everyday landscape of the island. Book launch: April 20, 2026 Colt Hall, Point Loma Nazarene University 3–4 PM

We are thrilled to announce Unpress’ new title, Plants as Roadblock as Graffiti, by James Wicks @jawicks75 . Please join us at the book launch at Colt Hall, Point Loma Nazarene University. April 20, 2026 Colt Hall 3–4 PM Taiwanese food reception to follow

We are thrilled to announce two of our upcoming artist‘s talks centered around our newly published book, How to Fold a Paper Airplane. The author of the book, Tung Lin Tsai @tsaitungtung , alongside book designer Howsem Huang @howsem , will be sharing the publishing journey of this unique Riso photobook, covering everything from the initial stages of image-making through to the final publication design process. The first artist’s talk will be taking place at CONTACT photobook Lab in Toronto @contact_pbl , followed by another talk at Rooney‘s @shoprooneys . Both events are free and NO rsvp required. Event details are listed here: CONTACT Photobook Lab 80 Spadina Ave. #205, Toronto, ON January 22 at 7pm EST Rooney’s 724 Main St E, Hamilton, ON January 24 at 6pm EST How to Fold a Paper Airplane is a photobook created by Taiwanese photographer and bookmaker Tung Lin Tsai. The book unfolds through a deliberately fractured structure. Conceived from the author’s recurring dream of a giant red paper airplane drifting above Taipei, the book translates this image of absurdity into a reading experience where crisis and daily life coexist.

Happy New Year! We’re excited to start the year with news of our upcoming publication. We‘ve been working with James Wicks @jawicks75 over the past few months on his new book about plants and city landscapes in Taiwan. The book will be printed in Risograph and hand-bound by Unpress. Follow us for more updates on this new title!

Degradable Story Written by Sinistra Pan in 2023. Published by unpress in 2025. A recyclable poem, 3D printed in Polylactic Acid (PLA). Degradable Story interrogates the commodification of environmental protection through material and form. The work comprises eleven 3D-printed pages (60mm × 45mm × 0.6mm) bound by a single 3D-printed ring (12mm × 12mm × 2.0mm). The text inscribed within reads: —— I am a book of poems a tale to be told meant to be read and meant to be thrown I live in your hands your heart your space Degradable stories leaving nary a trace —— The project began with a doubt. As Sinistra recycled the waste of 3D prints into the recycling bin, he was reminded of the black hole in Shinichi Hoshi’s “Can Anyone Hear Me?”—a void believed to erase all trash, allowing people to produce more waste without guilt, until one day the trash began to return. This image lingered. He began to question the promise behind the eco-friendly label: was it purely for earth, or merely a way to comfort people and sustain the market’s appetite? Each copy of Degradable Story is produced using leftover filament from the end of each spool. As a result, the color of every copy is unpredictable and never fixed.

There’s no more fun than making a basic letter-size zine—except there is. Meet @unpressedpatch ‘s latest zine 3andwich Issue 2: Tomato, Tomato, Tomato. The zine follows the classic 8-page format but is printed on large paper. When unfolded, it becomes a 17.5×23 inch poster. The zine will be first available at @pioneerworks Press Play 2025 in Brooklyn, on Dec 13 & 14.

3andwich is a collaborative photo publication created by Unpress members Tung Lin Tsai @tsaitungtung , Howsem Huang @howsem , and Sinistra Pan @sinistrapan . Each issue begins with a simple, shared object, using it as a way to observe how everyday things fracture and multiply once filtered through different cultural and linguistic contexts. In Tomato, Tomato, Tomato, the second issue of 3andwich, we turn to one of the most common fruits in the world — tomato. In Mandarin alone, “西紅柿” and “番茄” both translate to “tomato,” but each term carries its own regional memory, sensorial associations, and embedded histories. These differences are small enough to overlook, yet significant enough to reveal how language shapes what we see, taste, and recognize. When language shifts, does the object itself remain the same, or does it, too, transform? Edition of 75 17.5 x 23 in. (unfolded poster) 5.75 x 8.75 (8-page zine) printed in Risograph by @someprintstudio

Come find us at Press Play 2025 @pioneerworks in Brooklyn, New York! We‘re so excited to share our photo zines, inkjet and Riso prints, plus lots of other fun goodies we’ve put together for you this year. We can‘t wait to see you there. More updates coming soon!

10/02 - 10/26 [書展] 寫給影像的告白：跨越攝影、出版與感官的實踐 to images: Practices Across Photography Publishing and the Senses ✨書籍作品介紹✨ 《Is A Black Swan A False Swan?》Sinistra Pan 一本探索符號構成的小誌。符號構成是一種表達和傳遞信息的認知過程，作者 Sinistra Pan 透過 Falseswan 這本小誌審視「天鵝」一詞及其語境的轉變，揭示不同層面符號化過程。Falseswan討論符號如何隨時間被創造和改變，它展示了社會的發展和新信息如何能改變符號的含義。Falseswan暗示符號化有兩個階段：前符號狀態和後符號狀態。它探索符號如何在追求溝通和知識的過程中被創造、修改和放棄。 - 《世界末日大平賣》 Howsem Huang 一本攝影藝術小誌，收錄了於舊金山唐人街拍攝的一系列市場場景。書籍設計中引入不同的材質──瓦楞紙與晾衣夾──以邀請讀者與作品互動。這本藝術小誌作為一種觀念性的提問，回應Howsem Huang作為廣州華人所交織的身分，以及他對「母國之外」生活所懷抱的矛盾情感。 - 《ㄨㄢˇㄢ / ㄨㄛˇㄞˋㄋㄧˇ》(2nd Edition) Sinistra Pan 兩本手翻書，其內容展示人念"晚安"與"我愛你"時的嘴部特寫，封面則是這兩個詞的注音。反直覺的是，這兩本書的封面實際上是交換的——「ㄨㄢㄢ」內展示的是念"我愛你"的唇部特寫，而「ㄨㄛㄞㄋㄧ」內展示的是"晚安"的唇部特寫。讀者帶着封面注音的預期翻閱內容時，往往錯誤地認為封面與內容是相符的。這在某種程度上反映了"人會聽到自己想聽到的"這一現象。 這兩個詞的選用，不僅因為它們嘴形相似、使用場景相似，而且人們在說出它們時通常都是輕聲細語。當這種誤差出現時，仿佛產生了一種類似量子物理中疊加態的曖昧狀態。重點已不在於對方說了什麼，而在於自己的心。 --------- 📗📘📙 --------- 【2場關於攝影自出版座談 】 座談①《迎向攝影自出版的年代》 時間：10/11 (六)13:00-15:00 與談人：美國紙漿合作社(Unpress) 成員：蔡東霖、Howsem Huang、Sinistra Pan 主持：hiponoz（攝影書店）、蘇厚文（攝影家） 報名：https://reurl.cc/koz7VG 座談② 《紙上的凝視》 時間：10.11 (六) 15:30-17:00 與談人：陳彥呈（藝術家、「白水」出版社創辦人）、劉妍蓁（藝術家、moro young出版計畫創辦人）、謝振允（藝術家）、蘇厚文（藝術家） 主持：hiponoz（攝影書店創辦人) 報名：https://shorturl.at/dNgXZ ________________________________ ​ 策展人｜ 蘇厚文 @hou_wen_su 策展協力｜hiponoz @hiponoz 展覽協力｜Emily Hsieh @emilybleu 視覺設計｜周芳伃 @louise_fun0924 場地協力｜鬧咖啡 NOW coffee @nowcoffee.tw 主辦單位｜鬧工作室 NOW studio @nowstudio.tw _______________________________ ​ 鬧工作室 火石仔hué-tsiỏh-á 計劃 —— 2F書架 寫給影像的告白：跨越攝影、出版與感官的實踐 10.02-10.26, 2025 鬧咖啡 2F書架 ​ 配合鬧咖啡營業時間 Mon. - Sat. 10:00-21:30 Sun. 11:00-19:00

10/02 - 10/26 [書展] 寫給影像的告白：跨越攝影、出版與感官的實踐 to images: Practices Across Photography Publishing and the Senses ✨書籍作品介紹✨ 《3andwich 三文誌：叫起》Howsem Huang, Tung-Lin Tsai, Sinistra Pan Unpress 的第一本協作出版刊物。本期刊物名為 《叫起》（粵語：giu3 hei2），由三位分別居住於北美不同城市的藝術家——Howsem Huang、Sinistra Pan、Tung Lin Tsai——共同完成。這本攝影書以幸運餅乾中的籤詩為起點，展開三段彼此獨立又相互呼應的旅程。 三位藝術家各自在洛杉磯、波士頓與溫哥華購買幸運餅乾，並將籤詩作為三個章節的開端。幸運餅乾的外觀、口感與味道幾乎沒有差異，但其中的籤詩卻總是難以預測，它們看似輕盈，卻帶有一種命定的重量。 這些籤詩的存在，不斷回應著一個核心母題：過去、現在與未來的映照；每首籤詩彷彿像早已被寫定的預言。當籤語與攝影交織在一起，《叫起》帶領讀者進入三段穿越時光的旅程，也邀請人們在看似平凡的日常中，重新思考命運、偶然與選擇的關係。 - 《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》蔡東霖 Tung-Lin Tsai 2023年底，我回台灣投票後，開始反覆做夢，《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》正是從這些夢境萌生。 在我的夢中，一架巨大的紅色紙飛機懸浮台北上空。身為旅居在美國的台灣人，我在美國看見國際媒體鋪天蓋地的報導，不斷強調著台海可能面臨的衝突與危機，但這樣的敘事卻和我回到台灣看到的日常風景脫節。台灣生活如常：早餐店瀰漫豆漿油條香，台北橋湧動「機車瀑布」。然而表象下，中國軍事活動升溫。當人們騎車上班，解放軍戰機同時巡弋海峽；當《經濟學人》稱台灣為「地球最危險之地」，街角早餐店依舊忙碌。 這荒謬夢境引發問題：「如何拍攝尚未發生之事？」 作為回應，我創作攝影書《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》，捕捉日常片刻，透過特殊結構設計，將危機與常態的矛盾呈現。這不是歷史，也非預言，而是我的夢境；一架紅色紙飛機，航行於台灣海峽暗流中。 - 《Bittersweet 好甘》Howsem Huang 一部以孔版印刷（Risograph）技術印製的攝影書，呈現Howsem Huang透過精心編排的影像，所構築而成的視覺散文。藉由實驗性地運用多種 Riso 顏色，作者創作出獨特而動人的影像，每一張照片都經過精心的顏色分層，形成連貫而完整的序列。書末收錄自我民族誌（autoethnography）〈尋找自己的語言〉（Seeking My Own Language），作者在其中回望自身的離散經驗，並以個人視角探問與建構華人身分的過程。 全書以孔版印刷印製，所使用的顏色包括：螢光粉、錫蘭黃、鮮紅、熱帶橙、橘色、凱莉綠、淺藍、中階藍、水鴨藍、紫色與黑色。 --------- 📗📘📙 --------- 【2場關於攝影自出版座談 】 座談①《迎向攝影自出版的年代》 時間：10/11 (六)13:00-15:00 與談人：美國紙漿合作社(Unpress) 成員：蔡東霖、Howsem Huang、Sinistra Pan 主持：hiponoz（攝影書店）、蘇厚文（攝影家） 報名： https://reurl.cc/koz7VG 座談② 《紙上的凝視》 時間：10.11 (六) 15:30-17:00 與談人：陳彥呈（藝術家、「白水」出版社創辦人）、劉妍蓁（藝術家、moro young出版計畫創辦人）、謝振允（藝術家）、蘇厚文（藝術家） 主持：hiponoz（攝影書店創辦人) 報名：https://shorturl.at/dNgXZ ________________________________ ​ 策展人｜ 蘇厚文 @hou_wen_su 策展協力｜hiponoz @hiponoz 展覽協力｜Emily Hsieh @emilybleu 視覺設計｜周芳伃 @louise_fun0924 場地協力｜鬧咖啡 NOW coffee @nowcoffee.tw 主辦單位｜鬧工作室 NOW studio @nowstudio.tw _______________________________ ​ 鬧工作室 火石仔hué-tsiỏh-á 計劃 —— 2F書架 寫給影像的告白：跨越攝影、出版與感官的實踐 10.02-10.26, 2025 鬧咖啡 2F書架 ​ 配合鬧咖啡營業時間 Mon. - Sat. 10:00-21:30 Sun. 11:00-19:00

過去一年多的時間我試圖把《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》這個photo series 裡的抽象概念轉換成一本概念性的攝影書，而經過Unpress夥伴們的協助與幫忙下，這本書終於得以實現。 我們將會在近期在Unpress 的官方網站上架開始販售，同時也將會在台北的飛地書店 @nowherebookstore 上架。 Over the past year, I have been working to transform the abstract concepts in my photo series How to Fold a Paper Airplane into a conceptual photobook. With the support and collaboration of my Unpress partners, this book has finally come to life. It will soon be available for purchase on the official Unpress website, and will also be stocked at nowhere book store in Taipei. Title: How to Fold a Paper Airplane Author: Tung Lin Tsai Co-designer: Howsem Huang @howsem Year Published: 2025 Edition of 50 ——————————————— 2023年底，我回台灣投票後，開始反覆做夢，《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》正是從這些夢境萌生。 在我的夢中，一架巨大的紅色紙飛機懸浮台北上空。 身為旅居在美國的台灣人，我在美國看見國際媒體鋪天蓋地的報導，不斷強調著台海可能面臨的衝突與危機，但這樣的敘事卻和我回到台灣看到的日常風景脫節。台灣生活如常：早餐店瀰漫豆漿油條香，台北橋湧動「機車瀑布」。然而表象下，中國軍事活動升溫。當人們騎車上班，解放軍戰機同時巡弋海峽；當《經濟學人》稱台灣為「地球最危險之地」，街角早餐店依舊忙碌。 這荒謬夢境引發問題：「如何拍攝尚未發生之事？」 作為回應，我創作攝影書《How to Fold a Paper Airplane》，捕捉日常片刻，透過特殊結構設計，將危機與常態的矛盾呈現。這不是歷史，也非預言，而是我的夢境。 ——————————————— My book began with a question and a terrible dream. In my recurring dreams, a giant red paper airplane hovers above Taipei, sometimes drifting across a table. The absurdity of this image serves as a fragile reminder of the island’s current state. Taiwan’s everyday life exists alongside a constant shadow of threat. Taiwan embodies this duality: crisis and normalcy coexisting. While people ride their scooters to work daily, Chinese PLA fighter jets conduct military operations throughout the Taiwan Strait. My absurd dream essentially became a question that haunts me: “How can we photograph something that has not yet happened?” The structure of How to Fold a Paper Airplane responds to this question with a conversation between what is seen and what is withheld. My book, How to Fold a Paper Airplane, is not a history, nor a prediction. It is the absurd dream I have had.