They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that’s true, then David Bowie and I must have pretty kooky-looking souls. We shared the same rare eye-condition that causes one pupil to remain dilated, and the other contracted like a pin. I like to call it my 'Bowie Eye', and it’s the inspiration for the original artwork and my Pozible campaign.

My name is Amy Constable and I am the Australian letterpress printer otherwise known as Saint Gertrude. I support my mates when they embark on new ventures like this. I've been print sponsor for numerous not-for-profit projects including the Ask Alice Hip Hop Hooray calendar, the award-winning Cards Against Domestic Violence (play the Vimeo link to watch me printing these) and Food Pun Cards for STREAT. What I'm trying to say without sounding like a jerk is: I'm a good egg. I give generously to my community and I don't ask for much.

I also have really weird eyes.

Bowie Eye

'Bowie Eye' was bestowed upon me in the depths of a pretty dark year in my life. I’d suffered a miscarriage and was channelling most of my anxiety and time into my work. One Sunday whilst pedalling my press, I felt a pop, and the vision in one eye started to go. I was afraid that this could be the end of my life with letterpress.

6 months after diagnosis, I was cleared of significant vision deterioration; in fact, my new optometrist was super-excited to meet me in person because she’d only ever read about the condition, but never seen it in real life. "You're one in a million, you know. You and David Bowie."

Fast-forward 4 years, and I have established Saint Gertrude as one of Australia’s most notable in the industry. I work on collaborations with established and emerging artists, run monthly Beginner's Letterpress Classes (the first and only of their kind in Australia) and pride myself on having built this now family-run business from my back shed. I operate out of Little Gold Studios in Brunswick and my army of presses include those small enough to allow me to teach absolute beginners how to print, and big enough to run 50,000 quantity runs.  But we need one more, and here’s where you, and David Bowie, come in.

The Berlin Years

The opportunity has arisen to purchase a Korrex ‘Berlin’, currently at The Centre for the Book Arts in London. Bowie’s Berlin Years were his most productive and celebrated. I want this press to take me into my own artistic 'Bowie Years'.

The Berlin is a large format poster press, extremely rare in Australia . So rare I’ve been looking for 5 years and have only come across one for sale and missed out as it sold within 8 minutes.

This press will allow me to print large format artworks which I have been unable to do before now. Having it will give me more scope for teaching and community art collaborations. The press is conditionally sold to me and the shipping is ready to go. Conditional on finance, nothing else.

What You Get

I'm not asking for hand-outs, I'm offering for sale letterpress prints of Bowie Eye, as well as pre-sale 2017 letterpress classes, incorporating this new press.

The posters will be printed on the new machine and all artworks available through this campaign will be produced strictly in limited edition and ONLY for backers. These artworks will never be available for sale ever again. When I become an international superstar, I'm sure they'll be worth a fortune. AMIRIGHT?

All backers will be invited to a “Meet the Press” party and letterpress demo at Little Gold Studios when the press arrives.

The funds will be used to purchase:

The Korrex Berlin Press from the Centre for the Book Arts in London - approx. $9000

Secure shipping from London to Melbourne - approx. $2,500

Sensitive freight from Melbourne docks to installation at Little Gold Studios in Brunswick - approx. $1000

Sundries and supplies required for operating the press - approx. $2,500

All monies over and above the target will be used to further develop the 2017 program of letterpress classes, to incorporate the new poster printing press.

As I am nervously about to hit 'submit' on this campaign, my biggest challenge is an internal one: convincing myself that I'm worthy of asking for your support.

Because I know what I'm doing when it comes to buying a press. I've bought them for myself, and others on countless occasions.

I know what I'm doing when it comes to moving a press, even internationally. I've been pretty conservative about timelines of delivering the rewards because I know that it's going to take nearly two months to arrive.

I sure as hell know how to operate a press. Yep.

But I've never in my life asked for support like this. Help me through it, OK?