Edit 24/11/15 : We've reached 124%! Thank you so much, you guys are crazy :) We will visit Brest, Bordeaux and Paris for sure! Next step 140% to visit Lille, Lyon and Toulouse :)

Edit 24/11/15 : We've reached 100%! But the project does not stop there, next goal, 112% so we can restore a second bike!

La Charrette is a screenprinting trailer pulled by a bike. We offer you to help us set it up and prepare it’s first trip around France and even Europe ! Here is what is La Charrette and how we came up with this idea.

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Project bearers: Antonin+Margaux

We are Antonin+Margaux, a graphic design duo from Nantes, western France. We started our graphic design and screenprinting company in 2011. For 4 years now, we develop our activity around those two practices. We do client work, especially visual identity, and practice screenprinting in different contexts. We run an online shop of our screenprinted goods that allows us to show our graphic experimentations, in an independent way. We also work with creatives on original collaborations. And we offer different types of workshops for all ages in different types of events: concerts and festivals, launching parties, craft fairs. We even launch discovery workshops in our own atelier since last may. This screenprinting practice is rooted in our work. Screenprinting let us manage the whole graphic chain and that’s why we love this technique. It offers a lot of original possibilities and accessible from small series: neon inks, metallic, varnish. Our work is very characterized by this technique.

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Why a screenprinting trailer ?

From all of these experiences using screenprinting we came up with an observation: live printing is a playful and eye-catching way to attract people’s attention, but every single intervention lacked set up visibility and unity. That’s where the screenprinting trailer idea came from.

The screenprinting experience we gathered, especially with all the different events we took part in, prepared us to use this incredible tool. It will allow us to showcase our expertise, both in graphic design and screenprinting. La Charrette can be used in different contexts as a playful and eye-catching entertainment to showcase our graphic work or as a service during concerts and festivals, craft fairs, launch parties, team building days, educational workshops, and so on. Possible uses are manifold. We believe that print has a special place in today’s world and we are ready to show it to you !

The project is rooted in our screenprinting experience and in our love for bikes, with which we ride to work everyday. We are very bound to this earth respectful way of traveling.

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A lessonful first experience

During 2013, for a special event in Nantes, we initiate the building of a screenprinting trailer, already called la Charrette at that time. But the device, set up on a budget and in no time, fell apart quickly and revealed flaws. This prototype allowed us to know the different factors to consider in the making of a longlasting screenprinting trailer. In fact, to build a good screenprinting trailer, you should not only focus on the workspace. The device also has to stand up to the multiple trips on the road. Both of the two aspects, mobility and printing are important. This first try gave us the taste of working with designers. These experts are in the best position to know how to deal with all the different demands of build such a tool.

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A 8 hands project

The truth is we have a pretty good idea of who those designer are: Büro Allemand. They’re a design studio, and a production atelier. They’re the best fit for this project. We met with Philip and Céline more than a year ago now. We worked hand in hand on several projects since then, especially for one particular project. The building of their art & design concept store in Nantes: Bel Ami. It’s a common reflection on the way to communicate for creatives that led us to work together on the La Charrette project. We share a common love for creativity and rigor, two essential values for this project to succeed.

La Charrette, mobile screenprinting device

La Charrette is a mobile screenprinting device, pulled by a bike. Now, let’s see what it’s made of.

We use an old mail bike bought in a thrift shop. We give it new colors and add a motor for hard uphills and long distances. Here’s the bike when we bought it:

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The trailer is built around a base of cargo trailer made for heavyweight charges. We build a wooden device upon this base. There will be different spaces for different uses. A print space with embed hinges for the screens. A workspace for ink preparation in exemple. But also a drying space and a presentation space, like a mini showroom for our products. We also plan on getting a virtual cash register to accept every king of payments. All of this is overhanded by a little canopy, for sun protection mainly. Here’s a sneak peak of the device:

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Of course, for moving times, all the ancillary sections get back in the main one, which also allow us to pack all of the necessary tools for nomad printing. Because we plan on going far with the device, we also thought of an easy way to disassemble it and pack into a vehicle. We also plan on getting a bicycle carrier for our vehicle to be able to transport the bike as well. In fact, we would love to travel France and Europe by bike but we need to keep the company up and running in the meantime. So we are going to travel the long distances by car. But in a eco-friendly attitude, we plan on parking the car at the gates of the city and using the bike after that.

La Charrette - Print & Ride