Project
Year
Software
Client
Under The Rug
2021
Illustrator, Photoshop
Personal
Created under the guidance of First Nations Australians Business Lecturer, Dr. Kerry Bodle, this poster reflects the role capitalism has played in the development of a modern-day, colonised Australia. Dreamtime figures (and their respective stories) are broken into core values, with connections drawn between western equivalents through three titles: The Creator of Life, the Bringer of Value, and the Giver of Fertility.
A shared yet inverted colour scheme highlights similar underpinning cultural themes and values, while the separate manifestations of these are presented through a divided layout. Circular type references the Papunya region First Nations Australians dot paintings, while Times New Roman (originally commissioned for Britain’s ‘The Times’ newspaper) reflects traditional British commercialisation of art.
Background textures are derived from overarching principles expressed within the poster. A manipulated 'Palm Valley’ by Albert Namatjira represents the First Nations Australians’ value of land as a matter of culture and spirituality, while the Bank of New South Wales, Australia’s first bank, portrays the western view of land as a commodity and a means for profit.
References
Step-by-step
Outcome
Objective: Compare First Nations and westernised Australian culture and idols.
Research and Inspiration: Dreamtime figures and stories, western counterparts. Albert Namatjira’s works, Bank of NSW (textures). Artistic context and history behind type (Papunya Tula movement).
Technique: Dot-type experiments on Illustrator grid, photos modified in Photoshop (burn, threshold).
Refinement: Textures image-traced, font typeset, colour selected.
Medium: Machine printed on gloss stock, contrasting rugged creek bank.
