Lithification, 2019

Lithification takes its title from the geological process through which sediment, often composed of ancient marine organisms, is gradually compacted and transformed into limestone. Formed through accumulation, pressure and erosion, the process marks a continuous cycle in which water and stone remain interdependent.

The image for this print is derived from a three-dimensional scan of a limestone rock. Artist Hannah Rowan translates geological data into visual surface, allowing the rock’s material history to be reconstituted as image. The scan functions as both record and transformation—a technological rendering of compressed time.

Where Splitting, Calving, Melting captures matter in flux, Lithification centres on consolidation. Layers once suspended in water are fused into solidity; fluid becomes mineral. Yet even in its hardened state, the rock bears traces of the bodies and environments that shaped it.

In risograph printing, each colour is printed as a separate pass through a risograph machine — a stencil-based duplicator that presses organic soy inks into the paper. Risograph inks are naturally vibrant — they are renowned for their vivid colours and evident textures. The inks are transparent so layers build to create more colours. Slight shifts in registration and a soft grain make every impression subtly unique.

Lithification is printed on Olin natural white 170gsm, an uncoated, FSC-certified stock whose gentle warmth lets the colours glow. The edition is strictly limited to 100 and will never be reprinted. All prints were produced at the London Centre for Book Arts.