Inside what was once was an old medical centre on Brunswick’s busy Sydney Road is a warm, inviting space lined with shelves of books and magazines. It’s not a library, though. In fact, one look at these books would likely make a librarian faint. Because these printed works aren’t for reading – they’re here to be snipped, sliced and torn up to be turned into artworks as part of Melbourne’s very first studio dedicated to collage.
That Paper Joint opened in 2021 and is a purpose-built and sustainable studio all about paper collage, with workshops available to get people cutting and pasting together their own masterpieces. The venue is independently run by Maximillian Malone and Zoe Crook, who have created a hybrid space that’s part art studio and part creative workshop.
“Joining people through paper is the motto here,” says Malone. “Collage can be quite an introverted, diary-like and sentimental process, but we really want to create a super fun, exciting place for people to sit alongside one another creating in small, intimate groups.”
The threshold for engaging with collage as an artistic medium is also super accessible; you don’t need to stock up on expensive canvases and paints, as most people already have all the materials needed in their houses. Malone is also really adamant that you don’t need to think of yourself as a “creative person” to enjoy collage or make a beautiful work. “Some of the most interesting collages and outcomes have been created by people who would say that they're not artistic at all,” he says.
That Paper Joint’s cut and paste collage workshops have attracted everyone from families to couples on dates and solo individuals just looking for a creative outlet. Self-guided sessions are also offered for returning guests. The workshops run every weekend (Friday to Sunday), during which Crook and Malone guide participants through image-making techniques. Participants create one or more artworks, which can be digitally scanned to share online. Unlike paint and sip classes, That Paper Joint’s workshops are far more open-ended – you aren’t trying to recreate a predetermined work. “The nature of collages [is] you're always responding to the materials in front of you,” Malone says. “It's very much a personal thing.”
Sustainability is a huge focus (a tree is planted for every purchase made through the online store) and all materials are supplied – Malone has been collecting paper ephemera for roughly the last ten years, and the studio now houses an array of paper and printed material to use to make collages. Secondhand and recycled materials are used where possible; you can even donate to the studio if you have supplies that you no longer want or need.
“It's been quite a cathartic process to set up a space where I can kind of share all these amazing materials that I found over the years,” he says. “We're not so much interested in hosting workshops with new materials. It's about reinventing, reusing and reimagining with what already exists.”
That Paper Joint also hosts exhibitions, movie nights and vision board workshops. And most excitingly, Malone and Crook recently opened a brand new retail space, stocking cute and quirky art supplies like paper, sketchbooks, stickers, postcards and various trinkets. You can even purchase their own books: Botanica and Space, Science & Technology, which are filled with gorgeous images that have been designed to be cut out and collaged.
Keen to dive into the world of collaging? Head over to the venue’s website for more info.