What Are These Fibers? is a screen printed poster by Casiel Checoni that reflects on the value of taking work beyond the digital surface and into the physical world. Printed using black ink and silver plated ink on Chambril paper, the poster began as a series of abstract calligraphic brush marks made on paper. These initial gestures later moved through a period of digital adjustment before returning to print as a finished 50 × 70 cm poster.
Rather than following a fixed or linear process, the project developed gradually. The original calligraphic scripts existed on their own for over a month before Checoni revisited them. When faced with a blank canvas later on, those earlier marks became the starting point for a new direction. Over the course of two days, three posters were produced using different scripts, allowing intuition and timing to shape the outcome.
At the heart of What Are These Fibers? is a reflection on permanence and attention. Checoni describes the work as an exercise and reminder to give art a tangible life. In an environment where images are constantly uploaded, scrolled past, and forgotten, the act of printing, exhibiting, and discussing a poster becomes a way of resisting impermanence. As Checoni states, “Give your art life. Make it, observe it, talk about it, exhibit it, appreciate it. Don’t let it be a fleeting thing.”
Collaboration also played a key role in shaping the final result. The decision to use silver plated ink came from Ivan at Imprenta Cumbre, the print studio that produced the posters. That material choice added a reflective quality that elevated the work beyond its original conception. For Checoni, this exchange reinforced the importance of working alongside other practitioners. The printshop became a shared space for ideas, not just production. Ivan describes this approach clearly: “In Cumbre, printing is a powerful way of bringing people together. The printshop is not just a place of production, but a space for shared decisions.”
The finished poster balances abstraction and material presence. The calligraphic forms remain open to interpretation, while the metallic ink shifts with light and viewing angle. Together, these elements emphasise the poster as an object meant to be encountered slowly and physically, rather than consumed and forgotten.
What Are These Fibers? sits within Checoni’s broader practice of typography, visual experimentation, and poster making. It stands as a quiet argument for print as a site of care, collaboration, and attention in a culture increasingly defined by speed and disposability.
