The Moh Maya Project - A Documentation.

AN EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHIC PROJECT A PRACTICE IN CRITICAL THINKING

DIPLOMA PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

BY NAYANA GUPTA ADP - VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN SRISHTI INSTITUTE OF ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY 2014-2016 PROJECT GUIDES - KUMKUM NADIG AND VIVEK DHARESHWAR

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Copyright

2016

Student document publication meant for private circulation only.

All rights reserved.

Post Graduate Diploma in Visual Communication Design, 2014-16.

Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, India.

No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, xerography, photography an videography recording without written permission from the publisher, Nayana Gupta and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

All illustrations and photographs in this document are Copyright 2014 - 2016 by respective people/organizations.

Edited and Designed by: Nayana Gupta Email: nayanagupta.design@gmail.com Processed at: Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology Yelahanka, New Town Bangalore 560006 www.srishti.ac.in Printed digitally in Bangalore, India May 2016

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The Intent The Background The Concept A Personal Note The Pre-Proposal

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THE PROPOSAL The Design Brief Research Questions My Stance

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THE RESEARCH Craig Ward Oris Elisar Additional Typographics Understanding The Approach

THE STARTING POINT Mind Mapping Keywords Materials/Metaphors

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THE EXPERIMENTS

Cane And Wicker The Possession Series Repetition And Absorption The Cocoon Objective The Embedded Attachments The Code Unfolding The Meditative Engagement

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THE FINAL DEVELOPMENTS Images/Posters Reflection Bibliography Acknowledgement

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INTRODUCTION The first step towards building the proposal was to understand the concept of Moh Maya and to study it. Drawing the context in which the project would function helped me in strengthening the reach of the mission. More importantly, the personal connection behind the idea was pertinent in the set up of a goal in terms of what I wanted to achieve by the end of the journey.

The Intent The Background The Concept A Personal Note The Pre-Proposal

THE INTENT

THE BACKGROUND

The purpose of working on a project with a fluid and an explorative nature was to firstly, learn to develop a set of constraints and work towards pushing them. Working on articulation of critical thought became an integral part of such a flexible process.

The Diploma project was an opportunity for us to work with our strengths and interest but at the same time, adding an ambitious drive to it.

The power of the design, whether we talk in terms of type or image-making, was to come from the core of the concept. As such, within the context became an intangible part of the creative process especially during selection of materials.

There were several layers to taking a universally known system of thought, it was about trying to grasp a dimension of living and express it through tangible forms or be able to bring the intensity into form.

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Through the seminars and reviews, we were given feedback on our current position and take on the project whilst measuring the current works against the standards of the field.

Although we were encouraged to set our own boundaries, the idea of the project was also to push our set outlines by engaging in a critical, reflective thought process within context as well as outside of it.

With each seminar, we were able to re-look at our position and decide our next steps to reaching the outcome and the requirements of the design brief.

THE CONCEPT MOH MAYA The concept of Moh Maya is rooted in the aspect of ascension of the soul or moksh-prapti.

In Indian philosophy, moh-maya talks about the illusionary characteristic of the world and our tendencyto form attachments, as the crucial misstep which prolongs the circle of life and rebirth.

In Sanskrit, moh, refers to the attachment that we form to worldly materials and/or social relations while maya refers to the worldly illusion or infatuation to the material world.

Moh is associated to kam (desire, love) and Lobh (possessiveness) and on the other hand, to ahankar (ego and the sense of ‘I’).

In Sikhism, moh is referred to be a ‘maiajal’ and is represented to be the root cause of baser desires.

The pious man then explains that he had a dream that the wife may want to listen to.

The dream consisted of the man being a different person and living the life of a person with a family with ten children. The members of the family grow, engage in the society, work and with due time, pass away.

He then asks his wife if he should also be remorseful of the death of his 10 sons in the dream.

The comparison draws on the idea that materials possessions, societal laws and relations and even our own identity is merely a form of attachment that is permeable and transient, much like a dream state.

The aim is not simply to design print media that would reflect the idea of ‘moh-maya’ but also to work with objects that react with the environment and express the transient nature of our existences.

It is also possible to draw a commentary on our existing religious views, societal laws and attachments that our culture propagates.

There are several folk stories that explain or interpret the concept through analogies or metaphors.

A popular story narrates the life of a married, enlightened man living in a rural forest area with his wife and young son.

The son falls sick and after prolonged treatment passes away. The wife, realizing that her husband seemed unperturbed by the passing of their son, confronts him.

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A PERSONAL NOTE

THE PRE-PROPOSAL

Over the holidays which were just a month prior to the commencement of the final semester, I had returned to Ranchi, Jharkhand, which had been our family home since the last sixteen years. With my father’s retirement at the close, we have been planning to shift to Kolkata which is where we originally come from.

The research involved in such a subjective concept albeit an abstract one which needed to be turned into or expressed into forms was another journey in itself.

The packing of a home is often unraveling of memories and stories and hence, the first stage of understanding the transience of time which, embedded the concept into my mind, started then.

With old books, photographs, decayed unrecognizable objects also came the understanding of the fragility of our lives and our attachments.

Having a conversation with my father at this point about the demise of his parents and friends hit a chord with me that was difficult to express with my very shallow understanding of life and its mechanisms. I came back to Bangalore with a need to grasp the deeper meaning of existence, and have since tried to explore this side of actuality with the only tools that I am familiar with; design.

The medium of the final outcome was not a restriction that I wanted to place at the beginning of the project; the design brief was kept relatively open ended. The research questions became process-centric enquiry, instead of an outcome-based investigation; hence, there was ample room for trials and errors.

The initial idea was to develop typefaces or engage in font design. Although the rigor and focus needed to embark on such a project was very tempting, it seemed that with the timeline at hand, I would either had to solely devote the whole of three months to do the project justice, foregoing much room for experimentation and exploration.

On the other hand, I had the option of developing fonts/ script in a way that would develop a potential to become more over time.

This objective to create a open-ended experimental project with a substantial potential of more development at a

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later stage seemed a unique and substantial opportunity, moreover, it was the added layer of deconstruction and a deeper understanding of a core typographic values that piqued my interest.

Hence, during the initial stages, I developed a rough breakdown of the concept as well as the timeline of the project as such:

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THE PROPOSAL Here, I present the design brief as well as the research questions that I was interested in leading an inquiry into. This s a pretty self-explanatory section of the document which acts as the platform on which I began building my work methodology and critical thinking processes.

The Design Brief Research Questions My Stance

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THE DESIGN BRIEF The project aims to embody the concept of ‘Moh Maya’ through experimental typography.

The idea is to create a number of individual print design pieces which experiments with the script ‘moh maya’ using materials and mix media.

The designed script may also be followed up by font designs on a larger context.

A series of print design and/or videography works would be essential part of the outcome of the project.

Going according to the philosophy, the typography would reflect and encompass the disintegration and/or formation of the script.

A significant aspect of this project is that the script/letters of the phrase might be a product of the materials reacting to the environment as well as letterforms created within a controlled environment.

Since the number of prints might vary, it may be possible to experiment with both kinds of environs (controlled/uncontrolled).

Experimentation with different fragile and dissolving substances would be an essential part of this project as well.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS The skill sets which would be focused on: • Working with the sensitivity of texts • Experimentation with materials • Exploration of scripts including Devanagiri and Roman fonts • Understanding imagery and symbolizations • Bringing in an advanced knowledge of the elements of design such as balance, form etc. as this project aims to create 2D visuals from 3D materials/sculptures.

• Photography • A deep understanding of light and shadow

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To be able to create a structure of an already-existing script/phrase in order to reflect its underlying meaning.

To develop a process which would allow a typographic experimentation of a script to develop into typeface design.

To lead an inquiry into typography through material substance and understanding the sensitivity of type when it comes to representing a spiritual context through the text.

To understand materiality within controlled environments as well as uncontrolled settings.

To be able to design culturally relevant visuals/prints.

MY STANCE On a global level, typography has become a niche platform which calls for a thorough understanding of balance, type anatomy and the ever-changing technological advancement which renders software obsolete within a matter of a few years.

However, the core of typography not only lies in its legibility and software-friendly design but also in its core expression.

Often, it seems that understanding the principal nature of a certain typeface is an essential part of building its layers of anatomical structure.

This aspect of understanding the nature of letterforms before it becomes a typeface is what deeply interests me.

Additionally, engaging in a dynamic process-based project is the kind of a risk which, albeit, a high chance of failure, imply a high chance of understanding materials, image-making as well as fundamentals of designing type through shapes.

Through working on a fluid project such as this, I aimed to understand how to come closer to the soul of typography and in the process, become a stronger designer able to contribute to the field with critical insights.

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THE RESEARCH

Of the numerous books, videos and papers that I submerged myself in, I list here, a few which made the deepest impression on my process and approach.

I was interested in studying the various methodologies and the kind of rigor that had been taken up by the members of the field in order to understand the kind of objectivity that I would need to anchor my work into.

Craig Ward Oris Elisar Additional Typographics Understanding The Approach

CRAIG WARD Ward collected bacterial samples from hand rails, seats and other such surfaces from the New York City’s twenty two subway lines in order to come up with an unconventional series of portraits that would reflect the city’s complex ecosystem.

The samples were taken using sterilized sponges that had been pre-cut into the letter or number of the subway line from which the sample was to be taken - A, C, 1, 6 etc.

The swabs were incubated for up to a week and photographed at various stages of development.

The resulting images were a representation of the diversity and the complex interactions that take place within that space and served as a striking visual analogy for the city itself.

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CRAIG WARD The series titled ‘Pagan’ was a set of clean, classically designed typography within the chaos of natural processes and organic materials.

A visual tension was created between the surface and the typography, a unique structure within the seemingly unstructured. The subject matter for the series was Pagan and Heathen terminology from the Old English dialects of 5th to 12th Century Britain.

Pagan and Heathen in this context were taken to mean “country dweller” or “rustic” - without intending to invoke the religious connotations applied since the 20th century.

The typography manually using a method known as pyrography - a centuries old arts and crafts technique used for decoration, with the earliest surviving examples in Britain dating back to the 4th century.

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ORIS ELISAR Ori Elisar, for his final project at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, grew Hebrew symbols from bacteria, creating living, changing letterforms.

In his Living Language project, Elisar used the bacteria Paenibacillus vortex to grow letters that transform from the long-dead Paleo-Hebrew alphabet to the modern Hebrew one. It’s linguistic evolution in action.

He “grew” the two script forms of the Hebrew language: the original old Hebrew alphabet, known as the paleoHebrew script, which has been a dead language for almost 2,000 years, and the modern “square” form of the Hebrew alphabet that is still in use today.

Over time, the bacteria in the petri dish appears to morph into the new letters, growing into the thicker, blockier symbols of the current script.

When subjected to heat, the bacteria ate the algae, changing into the shape of the new letter.

Some Petri dishes show fully-formed letterforms (both the old and the new share a dish), while others are a bit messier, as though they were stopped half-way through the incubation process. And indeed, as we’ve seen with other bio-design projects, there’s a tension between attempting to control the behavior and aesthetics of living organisms and letting nature run its course.

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UNDERSTANDING THE APPROACH Through reading up on the typographic ventures of a few names mentioned prior, it became evident to me that there needs to be a large space for the unaccounted for outcomes when working with materials.

This tension between the nature of substance versus the shape and forms that is built by/on them is what would become an essential aspect of understanding or bringing out another facet of type characteristics. Keeping this in mind, I took a look at communicative posters such as the ones shown here.

The effectiveness of relaying a message, a thought or even a feeling with the right amount of intensity is another aspect that I was keen on working on.

Top And Bottom Designer: Graham Evans Typeface: Nails Work Description: A typeface (shown right cut out of metal) exploring the oral/pictorial duality of language as a written form: verticals represent explosive and imposive sounds, horizontals represent monothongs/ dipthongs, and the “nail heads� vary in size according to sound time.

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Top Left Designer: Huw Morgan Work Description: Ideas for a Changeable typeface, shown in a sketch book.

Dimensions: 292 X 406 mm Top Right Designer: Huw Morgan Work Description: IDIOT BOY, a project for the Royal College of Art, London, that explores the attitude towards the mentally ill.

Dimensions: 1524 X 1016 mm

Bottom Left Designer: Conor Mangat Typeface: Platelet Work Description: Typeface derived from the characters of Californian license plates, shown on an advertisement for Emigre fonts.

Dimensions: 285 X 425 mm Bottom Right Designer: Sloy Art Director: Rudy VanderLans Design Company: Emigre Graphics Work Description: Advertising poster for ÉmigrÊ Graphics.

Handelettered by Sloy Dimensions: 830 mm X 570 mm

THE STARTING POINT At the post-research stage, I dived into initial conceptualizations, iterations and mind mapping as a method to find the crucial keywords and points that I would need to focus on. I also started the process of collecting materials, based on their nature and characteristics that would become the core part of my typographic explorations.

Mind Mapping Keywords Materials/Metaphors

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MIND MAPPING

With the first stages of mind mapping and research, the following points became crucial to the free flowing nature of the project: Material selection -The workability of the raw material -Metaphorical or Symbolical significance Documentation of the process -The first stages of building a narrative -To understand the form, structure and anatomy of the letterforms The exploration of the nature of the created work -The internal story of the material -Reaction of the material with the environment or vice versa -The visual aesthetic -The articulation of the philosophy

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KEYWORDS

ATTACHEMENTS

DECAY FRAGILITY IDENTITTY

INSIGNIFICANT WANTS STUCK RELIGION

BELIEFS

TRANSIENT

CONTINUOUS

EXISTENCE

FAMILY

MUNDANE

BONDS

POSSESSIONS

EGO SENTIMENTS

FRAIL

WORK

BREAKING NORMS

BOXED PHILOSOPHY ILLUSION SHADOW

UNREAL

TRADITIONS

SOCIETY

DAILY LIFE

FLUID

CONSCIOUSNESS

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MATERIALS/ METAPHORS TANGIBLE MATERIAL CRAFTSMANSHIP LABOUR DAILY LIFE WORK ROUTINE MUNDANE

NOSTALGIA MEMORIES ATTACHEMENT

RELATIONSHIPS TRANSIENT DISCOLOURED

SENTIMENTS

FLEETING

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RELIGION COTTON IDENTITY SENTIMENTAL WORSHIP

TIES

SYMBOLIC RITUALISTIC

LAYERED PROTECTIVE SHELL NATURAL METAPHORICAL LIFE AND DEATH GRAINY ENCAPSULATED

BONDS ATTACHEMENT CONTINUOUS TWISTED STRENGTH TANGLED UNRAVELLING

METAL IMPORTANT SAFE-KEEPING RUSTED JAGGED LOCKED

METAPHORICAL POSSESSION

CONNECTION

DECAYING FRAIL

DELICATE DEATH

FRAGILE TEXTURE

CHILDHOOD CONSTANT TORQUE PLAY CIRCULAR WOODEN MOMENTUM

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THE EXPERIMENTS This section is a compilation of specific sets of experiments along with the thought process involved into the development of the typography.

Although each set has a distinct ideology and layered process centered on the material selected and the reason behind the selection of the material, there is a subtle overlap which almost fuels or joins the experiments forming a loose continuum.

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Cane And Wicker The Posession Series Repetition And Absorption The Cocoon Objective The Embedded Attachement The Code Unfolding The Meditative Engagement

CANE AND WICKER STAGE 1 The process of heating, bending and twisting the shapes to form the correct curvatures as well as finding an aesthetic balance was the first hands-on experience which automatically gave an idea of the anatomy and form of the alphabets.

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STAGE 2 The process continued as I wanted to look at the script in terms of surroundings as well as the shadow it casts.

Placing the frame within different areas changes it’s context. At the same time, this set of experiments became about the location and constructing the right photographic image which would communicate the feeling of intensity and express the power of the great beyond.

At this juncture, two very important inquiries came to be a subsequent part of the next set of experiments, especially when it came to image-making.

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THE POSESSION SERIES STAGE 1 Using the key as a representative of material possession while its counter-part, the lock; a metal mechanism, functions to protect safe-keep and at times, hide.

But the act of holding a key, or possessing of a metal shape that symbolizes the power of ownership itself is also a look into the beholder’s economic well-being.

The unprepossessing jagged metal object signifies a link between the object and the owner and adds a value to the object simply by existing.

Here lies the crux of identity. A nature that we; as members of a society which thrives on the act of purchase, completely depend upon. The act of guarding of the materials/objects shed a light upon what one fears to be taken away from. The lock on a temple door or closing the gate of an empty space narrates tales of sentiments, attachments and emotional connection to the tangible as well as the intangible.

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STAGE 2 The next stage of identifying and shaping the script was looking at the formation of shapes as well as the communication it expressed.

I took prints and stamps of the script to give it a better legibility and an essence of the day-to-day object.

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REPETITION AND ABSORPTION After the first two sets of experiments, I felt the need to connect more with the clarity of the script and the formation of the shapes/parts of the letters.

Additionally, through the possession series, I wanted to explore more textural aspects of Moh Maya.

The continuous and repetitive movement, almost in a state of trance, resonated the idea of the practice of spirituality as well as the kind of concentration and uninterrupted exercise that is needed to understand a spiritual concept, almost like the manifestation of a chant.

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THE COCOON OBJECTIVE The nature of the silkworm which weaves a protective casing around itself is quite like nature of an individual of encapsulating himself/herself within their own world.

The sentiments, ideas, values and objects that become a part of the identity of a person becomes a cocoon.

The fibrous layers which harden to shield the soft and vulnerable insect inside has a unique texture to it.

The metaphorical aspect of the silkworm cocoon comes to play here when, by cutting open and hardening the shell into shapes using a hardening agent retain the visual quality of the layer and at the same time, communicate the inanity of such a process.

The experience of dealing of cutting open layers of cocoon to reveal a dead insect, still reserved is a strange one which personally, made me contemplate the fragility and simplicity of life and its easy end in thte grand scheme of things. Although the designing with the texture and the sculpting the typography was somewhat feasible, the smell of a dead insect was a dimension which seemed difficult to be put forward.

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THE EMBEDDED ATTACHEMENTS The rooted nails signify the attachments we tend to form which, according to the concept of Moh-Maya, entangle us and hold our souls back from the attainment of freedom or moksh. The strings that bind us are taken from the very visible lines of wires and ropes and connecting objects that seem to hold spaces together. The form is a direct comment on the hyper-connected world and its ability to grasp us into its web.

The nails are arranged to spell out “Moh Maya� in braille as a salient code that needs to be touched, analysed and decoded to be understood.

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CODE UNFOLDING Alphabets, letterforms, glyphs before being readable entities, are first and foremost symbols to which we attach meanings and sounds.

More importantly, these shapes, as is the case with any shape or form, have the quality to be expressive and sensitive.

The twists, loops and the overall poetic nature of devanagari fonts may be seen as codes, especially to one unfamiliar with the script.

The interaction towards these symbols/codes lean towards the process of unraveling, re-looking, decoding and studying. These approaches are similar to the methods applied to understanding a new thought or a layered philosophy.

The nature of peeling is the mandatory mental function required to understand the concept of Moh Maya, as it is to understand the form and structure of codes. Within this system of re-looking and re-interpretation, symbols become symbolic.

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THE MEDITATIVE ENGAGEMENT This experimental piece is centered on the idea of mohmaya being a concept that needs to be practiced, analyzed and meditated upon in order to be able to grasp the intensity of its layered meaning.

The shapes that form the letters have been broken down into its elemental forms through laser cutting.

The previous experiment (The Coded) became a stepping stone towards the interpretation of the dynamism of the forms to allow meditation and the re-looking of the typography.

This is also an interactive installation, as the individual acrylic pieces can be moved to and fro as well as rotated around to distort and deconstruct the script as a whole.

The shadows that form when kept in the light are an added layer that invites the viewer to engage with the shapes and the meaning behind the constant transformation of the form with time.

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THE FINAL DEVELOPMENTS This section of the documentation showcases the work-in-progress or the developments that stemmed from the experiments.

Since the project is open-ended and explorative in nature, the final developments are, for the time-being, a look into the potential of typography that can be used to express a concept through installations, photography, image-making and so on.

The next stage would be to undergo an in-depth study of type anatomy and the technicalities of typography to strengthen the Moh Maya type experiment.

Images/Posters and Work-inProgress Reflection Bibliography Acknowledgement

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REFLECTION The two years that I have spent in this esteemed institute of Srishti has been an eye-opening expedition.

The freedom of choice that came with the diploma project needed to be, in some sense, a logical conclusion to my evolution as a designer.

The decision to work on an experimental project came very naturally with the realization that the trials and errors have been an equal, if not more, a part of my growth than the successes.This project has been a rich experience in several ways. I had the opportunity to not only understand a very intriguing spiritual concept, but to understand it through the lenses of design and vice versa.

At a certain point of time, along the way of trials and errors and small accomplishments, it became evident to me that I would only be able to do justice to this final year project if I allowed myself to be completely immersed in the process.

To work on a typographic project centered on ‘Moh Maya’ demanded focus and concentration equivalent to meditation and constant practice.

Somewhere along the middle of the design development stage, it became more about discovering nuances of photography or typography or even a potato (which I had used as a stand to keep a white backdrop upright) rather than bringing an experiment to a logical, conclusive end. Such instances of realizing the dimensions of a common object or a known type slowly began to manifest in my work.

Hence, the last set of typographic work reflected a sense of meditative analysis, almost as if one is asked to sit down

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and spend hours with the changing of light, shapes and shadows within the installation, with the intention of quite observation.

The fact that this kind of a project may go on for years to come is something that I have realized by the end of the semester. Whether I look at ‘Moh Maya’ in terms of image-making, videography, critical thinking or font design, the crux of the matter is, the project has become less of an assignment and more of an ideology that I would follow in my work space.

The nature of decoding and re-looking at a known identity is an important learning that I am taking away from this project.

Most importantly, I have found a strong emotional connect with the physical presence of the kind of work I was involved in, a kind of engagement that taught me how to bring together one’s mind and soul.

BIBLIOGRAPHY READING MATERIAL: -Typographics: The art of typography from digital to dyeline, General Editor: Roger Walton.

-The Practical Encyclopedia of Calligraphy, by Janet Mehigan.

-CULTURE+TYPOGRAPHY : How Culture Affects Typography, by Nikki Villagomez -Mythologies, by Roland Barthes.

-The Order of Things, by Michel Foucault VIDEO REFERENCES: Why not surrender to the process? - Craig Ward at TEDxDrexelU : -https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=U8GbIlui09E -https://vimeo.com/121086845 -https://vimeo.com/137378309 WEB RESOURCES: -http://uppercasemagazine.com/blog/2012/12/3/typetuesday#.Vt_mh_l97IU= -http://www.fastcodesign.com/3050567/made-of-bacteriathis-living-type-morphs-into-new-letterforms/15 -http://practicaltypography.com/foreword.html

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This project could not have been possible without the support and guidance of Dr. Geetha Narayanan – Director of Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

The resource materials as well as the numerous books available at the Srishti campus have aided me greatly and I appreciate all those who have been kind in referring reading materials in order to help me amass the knowledge that I needed to complete this journey.

I would also like to thank my project mentors, Kumkum Nadig, Head of the Visual Communication Design Department, Vivek Dhareshwar as well as Manasee Jog for their direction and constant feedback through the various stages of experimentation and development.

Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Prasad and Mr. David for their kind supervision and help in the wood and metal workshop. I would like to thank my peers, who have given me valuable feedback and helpful insights throughout the process.

A special note of gratitude to family and friends who have been a pillar of emotional strength and a voice of encouragement since the very beginning of the journey, especially to my father, who never runs out of ideas and words of wisdom, I thank you.

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ADP - VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN SRISHTI INSTITUTE OF ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY 2014-2016