the idea

Our crowdfunding campaign started in November with the aim of raising enough money to equip our workshop with machines and tools. In the end, you donated 14,294 euros for us! We would like to thank all the supporters who shared our posts, who promoted us, who donated, who told their friends about us. It was only with your help that we were able to reach this amount in the first place. After sending all the parcels, cards and letters, we dedicated ourselves to planning the inventory and the necessary journey to bring presses, sieves, felts, etc. to Dresden.

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transportation

On 18.02.2024 we finally set off on our journey to pick up a large part of the inventory for the erlenwerk. Our first stop was in Ebrantshausen with Helene and Joachim Tschacher. Both work with paper in their artistic practice. Joachim's paper workshop was in the garden and was fantastically equipped with a Dutch beater, pulper, felts and lots of screens. We packed what we could carry. We will transport the big machines to Dresden in the spring. Then we went to Walter Barth in Munich. Walter has developed his own press. Due to its special design, it combines many important factors, but above all it can be dismantled and transported. We would like to take it on tour and do printing campaigns in Dresden and the surrounding area. The next day, we continued across the border to Bülach in Switzerland. Once there, we met Paul Burkhart, who showed us around his small and exquisite litho workshop. We looked around and were in seventh heaven: a beautiful reaming press, an almost new grinding basin, stones upon stones. With the help of Paul's colleague, we cleared out the workshop.

The next day, the haulage company that was to drive back to Dresden with us arrived early in the morning. First the friction press was loaded into the truck, a special moment for us. Then we loaded one pallet after another together with our forwarder. We said goodbye to Paul and his friends and drove to the border with our hearts filled to the brim with gratitude and compassion.
Unfortunately, our whole journey was delayed here because there were problems with the customs declaration. The plan was that we would cross the border into Germany on Wednesday (21.02) and then continue on to Dresden, but unfortunately we had to wait a whole night before we were allowed to cross the border. It wasn't until the next day that we drove to Dresden, a little tired but still very proud and satisfied. Three very kind people were already waiting there to help us unload.
We experienced a great deal of hospitality and support on this trip.

We are very lucky to be able to put these plans into practice. We would like to thank everyone who has accompanied us on our journey and look forward to seeing you again soon at erlenwerk!