Following the Paper Trail from China to the World

• Duration:Temporary
• Location:Campbell Gallery

(date) 1/18/2005–7/30/2005

Paper is everywhere in our daily lives. Found in a variety of forms and serving numerous functions, it is rarely out of reach or sight. We take the convenience it provides for granted and rarely think how different the world would be without it.

Although paper was not intended solely for recording words when it was invented in China over two thousand years ago, its development revolutionized the way ideas are transformed from thought to notation, as well as the way knowledge is disseminated. It has had a transformative effect on both intellectual and material life. The development of printing presses and papermaking machines has allowed paper to become an effective and inexpensive medium for exposing societies to knowledge and ideas.

Despite the modern technological promise of a paperless society, paper continues to play an important role in the recording and transmission of ideas, from today’s shopping list to tomorrow’s scientific discoveries.