Danny Flynn

ISSN 1751-1712 (Print).

ISSN 1751-1720 (Online).

Feature article title: Laser Cutting and Letterpress.

ISSN 1754-9078 (Print).

ISSN 1754-9086 (Online).

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Danny Flynn (born 4 August 1964), is a D&AD award-winning designer and printer, specialising in limited edition book design and illustration, and letterpress and screen-printing.

His work in design, typography and printing led to him working in post-production design for the opening title sequence of the Hollywood film Gladiator.

Born and educated in Bradford, Flynn received a diploma in graphic design and advertising from Bradford College Art School.

He went on to study at Hounslow Borough College, London, studying graphic design and typography.

After first working as a graphic designer, he further developed his interest in traditional printing methods.

Flynn also works with artists from other disciplines, such as book binder Eri Funazaki, milliner Flora McLean of (House of Flora) and photographer Derek Ridgers.

Flynn's series of books created in partnership with the Japanese bookbinder Eri Funazaki are included in private and public collections such as The Tate Gallery, The Yale Collection of British Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, and The Miniature Book Collection, New York.

The work with Funazaki has led to three awards:

Work by Eri Funazaki and Danny Flynn:

Flynn's work has been exhibited internationally since 1995 from America to Japan, in London, New York, Tokyo and San Francisco, and in galleries such as The Tate, The Saatchi Gallery, The Barbican Centre, MoDA, Chaucer Centre and Ketchum Pleon.

His work has also been exhibited in public spaces such as Waterstones and Selfridges.

Flynn has presented talks and workshops at the London College of Communication, Middlesex University (as Visiting Lecturer in Graphic Design, Fashion, Design, Styling and Promotion, Illustration and Interior Architecture; Visiting Lecturer in letterpress; Research Associate in Bookworks, Letterpress and Print), Hastings College of Art & Design (as Visiting Lecturer in Art and Design), and London Metropolitan University (as Visiting Lecturer in Fine Art).; and lectured in the UK and Germany for The Children's Trust Charity, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, The Art Workers Guild, Middlesex University and The International Conference on Technology in Berlin.

Flynn's research has been published in the UK, the US and Germany in The International Journal of the Arts in Society; Bound and Lettered, Artists' Books, Bookbinding, Papercraft and Calligraphy; The Blue Notebook; Designer Bookbinders Contemporary Book Arts Newsletter of The Designer Bookbinders; and Book Arts Newsletter.

Flynn captained the British ice sculpting team three times, during 2002 and 2004, in The International Snow Sculpture Championship and The International Snowfest Sculpting Competition in the US and Canada, respectively – being awarded the 1st prize in 2002 Snowfest competition in Ontario for the sculpture entitled 'Urgh'.

Danny Flynn captaining the award-winning British snow sculpture team in Canada:

For the designer Flora McLean at House of Flora, Flynn laser-cut typography onto rubber for garments and accessories for a piece titled Dress No.2, which proved popular at the 2009 London Fashion Week.

The designs were shown in Vogue and a film of the work, Letterhead, can be seen on the Vogue website.

An interview with Flynn for Print Week described the event:

"With the help of Danny Flynn of Astonish Me Press, [Flora] McLean created fashion accessories and jewelry inspired by letterpress printing – with a twist! The designs could also be used to print with and came with their own inking pots so the wearer could quite literally print on the go. Rubber embossed belts turned into rollers along with laser cut roller handbags and cuffs bearing laser-cut text. – Print Week, 2010"

In 2010 Flynn made a series of screen-prints using the rock star and film maker portraits by British photographer Derek Ridgers and the text of writer Marcus Georgio.

The prints, featuring subjects such as Nick Cave, David Lynch, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Frank Zappa and John Lee Hooker, used various everyday powders – sugar, salt, custard and raspberry powder, etc. – and the exhibition, Every Bodies Enemies was held at Ketchum Pleon as part of their Art@Ketchum Pleon project.

Examples of the work produced for the Every Bodies Enemies gallery show:

Flynn is owner of an art gallery named 'G511ERY' in Tottenham, North London.

The gallery has held exhibitions by artists John Lee Bird, Brede Korsmo, Paradox Paul and Maya Malfatti, and a performance by the dancer Mirjam Sögner.

Flynn's debut short plays 'Theatre Dogs' and 'Monologue' were performed at an Open Ealing event on 29 September 2012, directed by Anthony Shrubsall and with a cast consisting of the actors Gregory Cox, Ben Owara, Robin Miller and Francesca Wild.

The two pieces were performed alongside the works of Liam O'Grady and Wally Sewell.

The plays were subsequently performed again in 2012 and 2013 at the Drayton Court theatre in London.