A Polyphonic Essay on … is a collaboration between curators Alexandra Ross, Gayle Meikle and other contributors, originally commissioned to take place at Transart Triennale Berlin. Further events took place at NEoN Digital Arts Festival in Dundee and in Newcastle as part of Ways of Learning: Baltic. The series made up of sessions that explore forms of learning through audio or moving image artworks. Each instalment is based on an agreed theme which is reflected in contributors’ selected artworks and the discussion element for each session. The format ‘agitates conventions’ with each curator unveiling their chosen pieces to one another and the audience at the same time. This provides a live element of performance in which participants respond in the moment.
The project requirements were fairly simple — a matter of designing a visual identity which would support the project with a neutral yet distinguishable voice. A recurring graphic wave device represents ‘animated’ collaboration, with side-by-side components moving in different directions and appearing in varying configurations across shifting print formats. An interesting challenge became apparent with the realisation that each curator’s contribution had to be kept secret while design work was in progress, meaning redacted drafts had to be used for sign off. Spoilers successfully avoided!
