Read Beyond the Lines

Classroom Project

DESCRIPTION

To explore beyond the textbook definition of a book and create a ‘book that’s not just a book’ on the word allotted to us.

DURATION

1 month

ROLE

Publication Design, Research, 3D modelling

The
Introduction

?

Anecdoche

anecdote + synecdoche

A conversation where everyone’s talking, but no one’s listening.

So much to say, but who’s paying attention?

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

It's a dictionary of made-up words for emotions that we all feel but don't have the words to express, filled with new definitions, illustrations and etymologies.

The
concept

unheard pleas

A public installation project shedding light on the consequences of a corrupt money-hungry media which plays a strong role in influencing the criminal justice system by manipulating evidences to serve their purpose. This project will be targeting the victims who didn’t have a voice and were wrongfully accused which in turn got them convicted for years for a crime they didn’t commit.

This will be a hypothetical exhibit by the Innocence Project- a non-profit organisation aimed at exonerating under-represented individuals who have been wrongly convicted.

distorted truths

coerced confessions

Research and
background study

1 Choosing the right story

Identifying the appropriate case to be focused on was a crucial step since there was a bunch of criteria it had to fulfil.

Criteria:

High-Profile case
Controversial
Involving a minority group
Wrongful Conviction up to at least 7+ years

11 Collecting accurate information

After careful consideration, Central Park Five was chosen.

A criminal case in the United States over the aggravated assault and rape of a white woman in Manhattan's Central Park on April 19, 1989, occurring during a string of other attacks in the park the same night. Five black and Latino youths were convicted of assaulting the woman, and served sentences ranging from six to twelve years. All later had their charges vacated after a prison inmate confessed to the crime.

Making sure that the information displayed is a 100% verified and lawful was of utmost importance since this was a public installation and masses would be exposed to it.

Sources:

https://innocenceproject.org/cases/kevin-richardson/
https://innocenceproject.org/cases/korey-wise/
https://innocenceproject.org/cases/raymond-santana/
https://innocenceproject.org/cases/yusef-salaam/
Netflix show "When they see us"
Documentary "The Central Park Five"

Points to be noted:

The exonerated 5 were proven innocent of the MAIN crimes they were accused of-Rape and Murder.
The remaining charges of Robbery, Assault etc. were dissolved once they were proven innocent of the former crimes.
The possibility of them being guilty of the other, comparatively minor crimes, still exists.
All of the articles and shows/documentaries I've referred to, have some amount of bias-whether it's swinging towards the leftist propaganda or bigotry from the republican supporters.
My political beliefs can also heavily influence this project, if i'm not careful about it.

Developing the execution plan

An agamographic illusion portraying 2 sides of the story.

It is a clever form of art that uses optical illusion to create artwork that changes when you look at it from different angles. An Israeli artist called Yaacov Agam developed this kinetic art style around 1953 that is based on lenticular printing, a technique used to create holograms.

The main artwork will be showcased on a structure that will be held up by the two antennas of a TV.

The tv serves as a symbol of media while the exaggerated proportions of the tv and its antenna is a metaphor for how media exaggerates a particular part of news coverage, in turn complicating the situation and swaying the minds of the public.

Developing the visual language

NOMENCLATURE

'Read between the lines' is a phrase used to convey trying to understand someone's real feelings or intentions from what they say or write.

To work with a simple wordplay, I extended it to

'Read beyond the lines'

Brand Name:

Read beyond the lines

Tagline:

an initiative by the Innocence Project

VISUAL CONTENT

The whole collage will be in the form of torn down posters, newspaper articles and protest banners

It would contain

articles
original statements
protest signs
mugshot photos

VISUAL DIRECTION

photo manipulation
strong typography-distorted
loud
collage art

Typography

Colour palette

Most of the text usage within the spreads came from existing materials since it would be a mashup of different visuals.

However the logo and pamphlet had consistent type usage.

Keeping in line with the TV theme, the colors will be a combination of the bright tv color bars and black and white aesthetic from the 80's

This was done in order to convey the message effectively by implementing a visual sensory overload with a contrasting palette.

Display

Body

The
content flow

Each side will alternatively portray what the main narrative was, during that period, in the media.

The main narrative will be in bright colours whereas the latter narrative in black & white, suiting the aesthetic back in the 80's.

how do we potray two

different perspectives without any bias

1 Side 1: When they got convicted (1990)

11 Side 2: When they got exonerated (2002)

This side shows that the 5 boys were guilty of raping and trying to murder the woman in question.
Their pleas and articles supporting them will be b&w
The 5 accused will be shown in b&w as well in their mughsots and their mouth area will be torn to symbolise that they were silenced and coerced into signing the fake confessions and giving false statements.
These false statements will be written over the torn area

This side will portray the innocence of the 5 boys-now men.
It'll present the real culprit-Mathias Reyes
It'll follow a similar visual direction with the content against the exonerated 5 in b&w since that has become the latter narrative.