Spot Effect Break, 2019

In Spot Effect: Entrance and Spot Effect: Break, artist Milly Peck draws on her research into Foley sound effects — the craft of recreating everyday sounds in post-production for film and media.

After spending time in a Foley studio, Peck became fascinated by the archive of props used to simulate footsteps, crashes or atmospheric noise. Ordinary objects are repeatedly re-performed to produce convincing illusion. In these prints, Peck isolates the hand gestures of Foley artists, focusing not on the sound itself but on the choreography that makes it believable.

Rendered in her trademark graphic style, bold outlines and flattened forms emphasise artifice. The vivid Riso inks heighten the theatricality, reinforcing the gap between action and effect. What we see is not the “real” event, but its construction — a moment suspended between authenticity and imitation.

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.

Spot Effect Break 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.