BACKGROUND:
The Indian democracy is under threat. The ruling party is exhibiting all the telltale signs of fascism: increased surveillance, silencing dissent and independent media, and using brute force to squash resistance. There is a concerted attempt to convert India into a Hindu nation, with minority religions being threatened.

As is their way, artists are speaking out against these developments in their work. 'Awaaz / Essential Interference' was an exhibition of a few such artworks, held in upstate New York. 'Awaaz' is the Hindi word for voice, or sound. All the curated artworks had an aural element.

CONTENT:
For the publication accompanying the exhibition, artists contributed their 'voices' in textual ways, such as a ‘Eulogy for Lost Relationships’ (about how one develops irreconcilable political differences with loved ones during such polarized times), poems of lament and resistance, and an extensive reading/watching/listening list, of books, films, and podcasts relevant to such troubled times.

DESIGN:
The design of the publication captures this somber, gritty mood. It is a compilation of screen-printed rough board sheets, held together in a screen-printed sleeve. The titles and author names were letter-pressed, and the edges of the boards were treated with black ink. All in all, the aim was to provide a rich physical experience to the reader.

TYPOGRAPHY:
The central ‘AWAAZ’ title unit captures the impact and power of a collective voice, ringing out against oppression. The typography throughout the publication shows different behaviors of speech, such as interruptions, echoes, and chants. A no-nonsense sans-serif was paired with an oldstyle serif—and only libre typefaces were used, in keeping with the open-sourced, ‘of the people’ sentiment of protest rallies.

PRINT SPECS:
Print: Screenprint, matte foil-stamp
Ink: Black Ink
Paper: Munken Pure
Assembly: Staggered stack in plastic sleeve
Edge Treatment: Manual ink application