Ferida / "Wound"
Ferida (derived from the Greek “trauma”, meaning “wound as trauma”) is born from the desire to silence our voices and give voice to a “history of tortured voices, broken tongues and imposed languages”. It is an experimentalist book-object that does not guide the reader in a concise and explanatory reading, but that takes him between fragmented thoughts that disturb him and lead to a reflection on colonization and white supremacy.
Date
2020
Domain
2020
Domain
Critical Design | Editorial Design
Academic Project
University of Porto
BA Communication Design, 3rd year
Process an Research
The research and material come essentially from renowned works. Through philosophical and poetic language, they lead the reader to a psychoanalytic interpretation of the black question and to a reflection on the impact of slavery on post-colonial societies (Kilomba, Grada, Memories of the Plantation: Episodes of Everyday Racism; Fanon, Franz, Black Skin, White Masks). Some poems, excerpts from books, and thoughts of other authors mentioned in these works were also incorporated.
Regarding the visual aspect of the publication, the aim was to unsettle and make the reader reflect. By challenging the rules imposed by design, the intention would be to create an experimental work with fragments of expressive content. The visual research focused mostly on visual poetry and on how simple shapes can express feelings and other complex concepts.
The white wrapping paper
In order to visually represent oppression and figuratively express colonization and white supremacy, we wrapped the book with white paper. The purpose of this paper is to be torn apart in a gesture that figuratively “breaks” the pre-established domination and oppression.
Book Spine
The book is composed by notebooks and the spine is sewn with red thread, leaving
it exposed like a “wound”, a wound that is still open, but which, somehow, tries to be mended.
Research and material
The research and collection of material comes essentially from renowned works that, through Philosophical and poetic language lead us to a psychoanalytic interpretation of the black question and to a current discussion about racism and the impact of slavery on post-colonial societies. ("Memories of the Plantation: Episodes of Everyday Racism", Grada Kilomba and "Black Skin, White Masks", Frantz Fanon). Some poems, excerpts from books and thoughts of other authors mentioned in the above works were also incorporate.
