18-05-2021
Graphic Design

Dutch Design Daily

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Trapped in Suburbia www.trappedinsuburbia.nl

Graphic Days Torino – Flags of Peace

By 18-05-2021

ONE WEEK ABOUT Graphic Days by Dennis Elbers, founder of Graphic Matters and guest-curator of Graphic Days ‘Eyes on the Netherlands’.

The exhibition ‘An Alphabet of Cases from the Palace of Typographic Masonry’ clearly shows the means available to a designer: signs, symbols, ornaments. And how these are formed into a composition through construction, poetry and play. A composition that acquires meaning within the practice of the maker, the profession and its environment.

This theory is clearly visible in the project ‘Flags of Peace’, which can be seen one room down. In the absence of a universal symbol for peace, the designers of Trapped in Suburbia asked 100 colleagues from 100 countries to design a peace flag. Graphic Matters showed the project in Breda in 2017 (photo).

The diversity of designs is not only a proof of the theory from ‘the Palace’, but also shows how the concept of peace is experienced differently all over the world. The political situation in the country of origin, cultural background and the viewer’s perspective make it a fascinating collection.

The question is, however, whether these one-off designs will ever become true icons of peace? Within the walls of the museum, they form a starting point for debate. But when I walk through the city a little later, I find myself in another reality. A demonstration against the violence in Palestine. With plenty of Palestinian flags, but perhaps even more red flags with hammers and sickles. Is cold war an alternative to peace, then?

Graphic Days Torino
‘Eyes on the Netherlands’
14 – 30 May, 2021
www.graphicdays.it