W. A. Silva Museum and Akuru Collective are extremely proud to have a collection of old wood types used in early letterpress printing. Therefore, on January 19th and February 8th 2020, our Akuru community gathered around for a Woodtype Cleanup project.
To hold, to feel and to scrub off all the ink, dirt, and grime from the nooks and crannies in each of these pieces, felt like being a part of our heritage. However, it was a very delicate process that required sandpapers, old toothbrushes, and much caution. One might think that part of the beauty of old wood type is a bit of ink and crud. But at Akuru, we see the importance of conserving and building this valuable collection into an archive of Sinhala, Tamil, and English wood-type for research, awareness, and education of the next generation.
Please provide us with information about old Letterpress printers or Sinhala, Tamil, and English typefaces and help us build this collection further.
