From highly political publications to a collaborative family project commissioned by her grandfather, the work of this newly graduated designer has lots to say.
Talk us through your Occupying Spaces For Political Discussion project?
Occupying Spaces for Political Discussion is a research project I developed at Central Saint Martins. It frames the thinking behind Project Paper, a series of ongoing events and publications focusing on the rehabilitation of a massive amount of unused paper that I found in a derelict school building in Portugal. Besides wanting to analyse what is going on in my country (the economic recession, neoliberalism, the destruction of the welfare state, the abandonment of buildings), this project proposes alternative modes of organisation and production to the field of graphic design. In line with W. Benjamin's The Author as Producer, this project puts collective ownership of the means of production back on the table, reinforcing the principles of self-organisation, creative autonomy, collaboration, and exchange into the design process.
Tell us more about a project that you're particularly pleased with?
After my graduation last summer, I collaborated for a few months with DK-CM, an architecture practice based in London. DK-CM had been commissioned by the Ealing Council to come up with a series of improvements in public spaces in Southall for a project called Southall Great Streets. As part of that project, I proposed graphic alterations to seventeen shop fronts at The Green Parade in Southall. Taking into account the shop’s current identity, the specifications of each business and the ambitions of the owners, our role was to design new signs and complementary window displays. Our work would have to please both the business owners and Ealing Council so this was done through a series of consultations and meetings. It was actually hard work but quite enriching.
Themes of social change and politics run through your work - how does this affect your design approach?
I guess this happens not just in my work but in everyone's work. I see design as a discipline through which dominant ideological symbols and icons are produced, reinforced, and materialised in our society. Design is always political. I believe designers should develop a bit more of a conscience in regards to their work's relationship to politics. It’s important to be aware that our work is repeatedly employed for ideological concerns. Design is such a powerful vehicle for disseminating information. If explored, It can act as a catalyst for further involvement in social alternatives and create tangible improvements in everyday life.
Are there certain types of briefs or projects that really interest you?
I like when you’re given the chance to expand beyond your traditional role. I’m fond of being involved in different parts of the making, writing, editing, production and distribution. Also it’s important not to be stuck to your conventional studio environment and to try and go beyond it.
Your granddad commissioned you to work on Do Rovuma ao Incomati. Did he make a good client?
My maternal grandparents moved to Mozambique in the 1950s. They lived there for over twenty years until returning to Portugal in the aftermath of the Carnation Revolution (1974). My mother, uncle and auntie were born in Mozambique and thanks to my granddad's job they got to know the country quite well. The journey they went on between two rivers (Rovuma in the north and Incomati in the south) informed the title of the book. I grew up listening to all those stories and looking at the amazing photos my granddad shot throughout those years. About three years ago he started writing down some of his memories. At some point, he wanted to compile his texts and some of his photos in a book he could give to his friends. This turned into a family collaboration, everyone helped on something – proofreading, editing, categorising – and I got the best part, to design the book. The book was designed and printed in Zurich (at Simon Egli studio), then all the prints were shipped to Portugal to be hand-bound in an atelier at Rua do Sol, Porto.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I'm trying to survive in the freelance world. I try to do commercial commissions but still having some more independent projects on the side. For instance, I've been designing title credits for a short film called FIRE. Shot in Paris, the film is informed by Robert Kramer's film ICE and tells the story of a girl that gets mixed up with an underground revolutionary group, but I can’t say anymore.
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