CON-TEXT TURE experimental typography project, exhib.

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An experimental typography project and an exhibition performed to explore typographic expressions and analog approaches on conceptualizing essays from contemporary cultures. The project was executed during Gra 511 Typography course at Bilkent University, FADA, Media and Design Program, Fall 2015. And the exhibition named 'CON-TEXT TURE, An experimental Typography Exhibition' was held at Tilki Gallery, Ankara, Turkey; May 20-26, 2016

Exhibition brief;

An Experimental Typography Exhibition

An experiment is a set of actions performed to prove or disapprove a hypothesis in a scientific context. From a graphic design point of view, an experiment is a methodology or basically an approach to discover the potential in creating an original and an impressive visual language which would express the context and content relationship in an inspirational way.

Experimental approach is the design process that allows a graphic designer to be an artist; it is almost a romantic state that a designer would be. Using the authorized way of communication (letters, words, sentences,etc.) as a tool for experiencing the design process to discover new possibilities in visual culture, experimenting with typography is what a designer would and/or should do to survive.

Typography, inherently, stands between the visual space and the linguistic consciousness; between the aesthetics and grammar; between the form and meaning (content and/or context); the appearance and inner voice. This state of typography creates a juxtaposition for a designer to be a message creator and also an expressionist. This status makes typography open to exploration and suitable for experimentation among other visual compounds.

David Carson, who is the master of experimental typography and father of so-called ‘grunge typography’, once said "Experimental is something I haven’t tried before … something that hasn’t been seen and heard” (Peter Bilak, 2005). Experimenting with new forms of layouts to layering techniques, pushing the limits of printing mediums to spontaneous discoveries, adjusting analog practices to compositing textures and framing the right image is what the experimental process is done for this exhibition.

These experimental typography works are the output of a project that all the critical decisions made during 2015-2016 Fall Semester and finalized till the exhibition date, at Bilkent University FADA Media and Design Program, by GRA 511 Typography course participants and the instructor Ekin Kılıç. Project includes posters and design process giffs.

Exhibition Participants;
Rengin Kocaoğlu
Volkan Acun
Sıla Alıcı
Pınar Çalışkan
Çiğdem Demir
Anıl Özdem
Şölen Ödül S.
Çetin Tünger
Sepideh Yekan.
Ekin Kılıç

Bilak P. (2005) Experimental typography. Whatever that means. (www.typotheque.com/articles)

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Çetin Tünger: “Windy days” / Ref: Richard Blundel (2010). “Strategy Without Design: The Silent Effi-Cacy Of Indirect Action”
Technique: Xerox, Cutting-Folding, Re-combination, Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
2
Şölen Ödül Selvi "Language" / Ref: Lev Manovic (2001) "What is New Media"
Technique: Lettering (Spontaneous), Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
3
Sepideh Yekanialibeiglou "Color" / Ref: Lynnay Huchendorf (2007) "The Effects of Color on Memory”
Technique: Glass & water drop, Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
4
Volkan Acun "Acoustic Ecology” / Ref: Kendall Wrightson (1999) "An Introduction to Acoustic Ecology"
Technique: Xerox, Folding, Color Correction, Digital Printing
5
Anıl Özdem “What is Shamanism?” / Ref: James L. Kent (2010) “Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason”
Technique: Color Splash, Cutting-Folding, Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
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Sıla Alıcı “Ordinary/Extraordinary" / Ref: Roni Natov (2001) "Harry Potter and the Extraordinariness of the Extraordinary”
Technique: Photography, Transparent Paper Overlapping, Digital Printing
7
Rengin Kocaoğlu “Power" / Ref: John Thangaraj (2004) "Fascinating Fonts; Is The Power Of Typography A Marketing Myth?"
Technique: Xerox, Folding, Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
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Ekin Kılıç: “Contextural” / Ref: Ellen Lupton (2004). “Deconstruction and Graphic Design: History Meets Theory”
Technique: Scanning, Transparent Paper Overlapping, Color Correction, Digital Printing
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Çiğdem Demir “Plasticized" / Ref: Roland Barthes (1957). "Plastic"
Technique: Photography, Color Correction, Digital Printing
10
Pınar Çalışkan "Issue" / Ref: Eric Walther (2012) "Nietzsche, Our Contemporary”
Technique: Cutting-folding, Photography, Analog Correction, Color Correction, Digital Printing

Process, experiments;