APIGRAF, Universidade Politécnica de Tomar and Centro de Estudos em Fotografia de Tomar opened the Indústria Gráfica – Impressões que Permanecem exhibition on Saturday, 31 October, at Casa Vieira Guimarães in Tomar.
The opening was attended by Samuel Fontes, Tomar municipal councillor responsible for mobility, the library, local economy and veterinary matters; Professor Cecília de Melo Correia Baptista, director of the Escola Superior de Technology de Tomar; Tiago Simões, representing APIGRAF’s national executive board; and curators Ana do Carmo and Miguel Sanches. Professor Guilhermino Pires, founder of the Graphic Arts Technology course at Universidade Politécnica de Tomar, also attended, alongside other guests and members of the public.
More than a display of objects and printed products, the exhibition invites visitors to discover the diversity of the graphic arts and industries and their often unobtrusive presence in many aspects of everyday life.
Organised into seven themed sections, the exhibition traces the history and contemporary life of the graphic arts and industries, revealing the range of techniques, materials and products that characterise the sector.
The visit begins with the history of the Tomar press, illustrated by an 1879 copy of the newspaper A Emancipação, and of Portuguese graphic industry associations, represented by 170 Years of the Association Movement of Graphic Industries, published by APIGRAF.
The section Memória – Entre letras e tipos follows, devoted to traditional typography, with equipment, movable type and graphic production instruments, complemented by references to writers connected to typography, including William Blake, Honoré de Balzac, Antero de Quental and Eduardo de Barros Lobo.
The remaining sections show the presence of the graphic industry in everyday life: Na rua, with posters and visual communication; Entre páginas, with books and magazines distinguished by print and finishing; Por perto, with diaries, notebooks and stationery; À superfície, with labels and interface panels; and Que envolve, devoted to packaging, from everyday consumer products to luxury presentation.
Through this diversity of objects and technologies, the exhibition shows the graphic industry’s role in information, communication and everyday life, and its contribution to businesses in industrial, commercial, cultural and service activities.
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