TYPOGRAPHY – ART PRINTS – CULTURE

Visual Haiku

Visual Haiku is based on a collection of 19 haiku written in the 1970s by Zinabhai Desai aka "Sneh Rashmi". It is my attempt to represent Gujarati literature and script through experimental typography in modern contemporary design form. It is an effort to preserve include, exchange and celebrate.

PHOTO COURTSEY : ERIK BRAND, Part of the Ficciones Typografika

It all started with a desire to do something with the Gujarati Script, which I felt had not been experimented with and explored much. I’ve always seen Gujarati literature in body copy size, this is what initially motivated me to express and present the script in a fun and interesting way.

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A Storm brews in the sea, under the calm glare of the sky

The key I hold no longer turns the lock on my door. Where do I turn next, leaving my threshold behind?

As the boat hides along the river bends, it contemplates it's journey along the strongly carved current

The haikus were translated into English keeping the charm of the original poems but losing the format of the haiku, this had to be done in order to bring about the whole meaning of the original.

The doors to the unknown have opened, let’s crown death and welcome him

As the game unfolds, we shall all witness them surface - The Ace, The King and The Queen

His haikus remain as relevant to the current era as they were three decades ago, they are a delightful reflection on human behaviour – some portraying death as an honourable event, others a reminder of finding content in what one has; still, others are instances of daily life served with a dose of sarcasm.