1098 REPRESENTS 3 YEARS SUMMARIZED IN DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL STAGES CAPTURED IN PAINTINGS AND CROWNED WITH AN EDITORIAL EDITION.
— PROJECT NAME
1098
— DATE
2022/2023
BEFORE CONTINUING,
Let me give you some context.
This project began without my knowing in 2019 when I decided to study Graphic Design in Granada alongside my best friend, Alonso. During that year, we also shared an apartment. Tragically, Alonso passed away suddenly at the end of the first year. The following years of my studies were never the same, and I myself was never the same. Three years passed, and I was about to graduate, exactly on the 1,098th day since my best friend's departure.
Now you understand why this work bears this name.
This is my final project in Graphic Design. I knew the professors wouldn’t appreciate it properly, and I’d likely receive a low grade because it didn’t meet their expectations for graphic design work.
However, it was what I felt I had to do.
- I felt the need to honor Alonso and close this chapter of my university life, a chapter we started together but unfortunately I finished alone. I needed to turn the page and close the circle.
Awards
- It’s Nice That
- AIGA
- Fonts In Use
- The Dieline
Contact
- email@domain.com
1098
PART 1.
CREATION OF THE ARTWORK AND TEXTS.
The first step was finding a place where I felt comfortable to create, allowing me to express my emotions and capture what I was feeling. That’s why I moved back to my parents' house and set up a makeshift studio. I considered it a spiritual retreat, an essential part of this project.
I painted and painted a lot, around 60 pieces, although not all of them conveyed what I needed to express the discourse and the meaning of the book. After selecting the pieces that would be part of the book, I began writing the texts. It’s worth mentioning that, apart from the paintings, which are entirely expressionist, the rest of the project was already defined in the initial phase the conceptualization of the idea.
You can download the complete catalog by clicking here.
The next step was to photograph the artworks and breathe life and meaning into them through editorial design, merging visual and verbal language.
Once this was accomplished, after multiple printing tests and paper selection, we reached the second part.
1098
PART 2
HANDCRAFTING
THE BOOK BINDING.
This stage involves the complete handcrafted bookbinding process. Here, I got in touch with Codex Studio, owned by Susana Domínguez, a prominent figure in manual bookbinding on a national and international level.
In this process, Susana taught me how to bind a book entirely by hand. What sets this project apart is the care I invested in it, in every brushstroke, every fold, every finish.
In addition to the copy displayed below, I created three more copies of this book. Each one is unique, as each cover features a different artwork with distinct finishes and elements, although the interior content remains the same for all of them.
Click to watch the full video showcasing the entire process.
1098
PART 4
Exhibition of the Book and Artworks.
This is the stage that completes the circle, encompassing the entire phase, and it’s my first solo exhibition as an artist. This exhibition features the graphic work from the book as well as other pieces that weren’t selected but I deemed fitting for the showcase. Furthermore, the book itself is also part of the exhibition.
The exhibition took place in an unique space in
my city, currently an art gallery named "Celda Trazos" which hints at its past. It used to be the old city bank, and the gallery now occupies what used to be the vault where money was kept.
This is reflected in the imagery, with a large gate providing access to the main room.
- Inside this room, to the left, lies the space that was once the fortified vault, with its imposing door. Here, the book is displayed, surrounded by paintings, further enriching its significance. To reach it, you have to traverse a hallway adorned with paintings, pass through the main gate where the most significant artworks are displayed, and finally cross the door of the vault.
Awards
- It’s Nice That
- AIGA
- Fonts In Use
- The Dieline
Contact
- email@domain.com
This gallery was perfect for conveying the message I wanted to present in the exhibition.
The act of entering such an intimate, personal space resembles opening an emotional safe.