The Things We Carry
Italy . Study Abroad . Photography . Exhibition Design. Brochure Design . Poster Design . Publication Design
The Brief
During the study abroad semester at Monash’s Prato campus in Italy I completed a major project in response to the open brief of Survival. I produced a photojournalism series taking photographs of each student's personal items they brought with them that they needed to survive. This concept was born out of the discrepancy between students in regards to the amount of luggage they brought on the trip, drawing on ideas of maximalism and minimalism.
The Exhibition
I held an exhibition at the Monash Prato Center where I exhibited 12 photographs at A1 size as well as over 50 other photographs in the event brochure. I worked with local Italian printers to produce these large scale photographs. The exhibition was attended by Monash Prato staff and students as well as locals. In the photographs you can see attendees interacting with photographs of their belongings.
The Brochure
As there were budget and size constraints I could not print all the photographs and include all of the students belongings. So I decided to design their brochures to not only promote the exhibition but also to showcase the photographs at the event and include the whole class. All of the students eagerly engaged with the photographs trying to guess at what photographs were of which students things.
The Posters
The series of three poster designs were printed and displayed around the Prato campus and surrounding area. The local cafe zero gave me permission to display my posters and even invited me to place them in the bathroom.
The People
This photojournalism project engaged the entire class with each photograph giving insight into one another's lives and values. Without the vulnerability of the students' willingness to share personal stories of their belonging this series would not have been possible or have the impact that it did. Here I acknowledge their contributions to the project and my admiration for them as fellow designers. While on this design study tour we all learned collaboratively from one anothers different creative backgrounds and this only enhanced our projects.
The Publication
While studying in Italy we were tasked to keep a journal and to translate our reflections into a printed publication. For my publication I used a combination of the written word and photographs to reflect on the contrast between our busy lives in Melbourne and the slow Italian life we experienced in Prato.
The Manifesto
In my manifesto poster design I used a combination of the written word and typography to convey my reflections. Once again I was reflecting on our frustration with slow service in italy for good service in melbourne is fast but good service in italy is slow. The reflective writing is especially small, designed for those who have the time and patience to stop, look closer and take the time to read and reflect.
