Books iterations
My exploration of physicality led me to compare the human body to the form of a book. Books, like bodies, carry identities and histories. I became interested in how traditional book design, with its rigid Swiss grid systems popularized by Josef Müller-Brockmann, imposed predictability and stripped books of their unique physical presence. To challenge this, I experimented with subverting book formats, playing with binding and layout to disrupt standard design practices.
Written response
Flip book — A dance of iterations
I created a flip book to experiment with fluidity and rhythm, where my iterations danced and evolved.
These new techniques and approaches helped me embrace imperfections in my work, moving away from the polished, neat style I was used to in my previous education.
Faces of perceptions booklet
To bring a fresh perspective to my work, I decided to turn my screen printing work into digital pieces. This change gave me the freedom to experiment with color, shape, and structure. I compiled these variations into a book, aiming to challenge the audience’s perceptions of beauty and image.
Embracing discomfort prompted me to reflect on my body and explore how my own experiences could challenge conventional beauty standards.
Hi, I’m Virginia and I hate my nose.
I think it’s ugly, disproportionate,
I hate the hump on it. I hate my profile.
My work has literally gone through a journey of change that brought me back to screen printing.
Returning to the origins of this tool, I was inspired by the method Marinetti, used in his Manifesto, to create a repetition of frames of my nose. The hammering, the continuous repetition of the image created discomfort in me but it was almost hypnotic and alienating. At the end I even started to like it.
Transcript video essaying
Positions through contextualising
Positions through iterating