We are located in Molí de la Farga, in Banyoles, to discover Sastres Paperers. A paper company with a tailor’s philosophy, where each piece of paper is made-to-measure and following traditional craft techniques. Jordi Torrent explains it to us in a new episode of People.

El Molí de la Farga, where Jordi Torrent runs this project, is one of the few remaining paper mills in Europe. In fact, in Catalonia there are currently only this one and the Molí Paperer de Capellades, now converted into a museum. Jordi started his activity in 2014, taking over from Antoni Sardà, who had been in charge of the mill from 1983 to 2013. Thanks to Jordi, the production legacy continues, but also the didactic dissemination of the craft, which adds more value to this artisan activity that still attracts visitors day after day.

From the outset, it is striking that in the 21st century, the craft techniques that were used thirty years ago are still being used. The reason, as Jordi explains, is simple: “By doing it with our hands we achieve something that machines cannot achieve, which is the expression of a gesture. It’s like a snapshot of a movement, you can never make two identical papers”. And it is precisely this careful and personalised work that gives rise to a wide variety of papers with multiple uses, depending on the material used to make them or the production technique employed.

Paper, where the artistic work begins

Arts is one of the sectors with the highest demand for paper. Jordi points out that, in artistic matters, the work begins with the choice of paper, the support on which the artistic creation will be created and developed. If no two papers are the same, no two works will be the same, and this generates a value of originality that is difficult to match.

Another type of paper that attracts attention is plantable paper, widely used in communication campaigns in which, with the paper alone, an important message is being sent: everything has a second life. In fact, did you know that the profession of rag-man has historically been linked to that of papermaker? Jordi reveals this and many other curiosities to give us an insight into a trade that strives to maintain the charm of craftsmanship.

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