Enclosed | MFA GDVX Thesis Show
Experimental Graphic Design
Recognition:
Young Ones TDC 2025, Winner
Gold in Communication Design:
Other / Experimental
The idea
Enclosed is a thesis visual multicomponent interactive and transformative design system that reveals layers of propaganda, the harm it inflicts—including dehumanization and violence—and the process of healing and transforming trauma caused by violence.
Tags: Dehumanization| Propaganda | Humanism | Activism | Experimental Graphic Design
The book, Propaganda and Dehumanization.
The first component of Enclosed is a French-folded book titled Propaganda and Dehumanization. The front of the book is in black and white, representing how propaganda portrays people in simplistic, binary terms. Inside the French folds, however, are colorful spreads that reveal the hidden complexities, nuances, and traits that make people human.
Book Cover: The text on the front is created with ball pins, symbolizing how propaganda encloses individuals within a bubble, constructing walls of apartheid and dehumanization between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ The back side, with needles protruding from the paper, represents the painful and piercing effect of propaganda.
The poster: Violence and Reclaiming
The poster is constructed from fragments of a deconstructed propaganda book. The poster depicts rubble and the blood seeping through.
Reclaiming
By peeling away the layers of the constructed poster, we search for what was lost due to violence and rediscover who we were before being dehumanized.
The quilt: Healing and Regeneration
The illustration is a stylized construction referencing an illustration by a drone strike survivor in Pakistan, honoring those who have been erased by violence. The illustration combines Phulkari embroidery with Islamic geometric patterns.
Stereotypes and self reflection
Balloons having stereotypes written on them carrying small texts like a confetti saying
women, children, humans, schools, colleges, hospitals etc. Balloons were on a roof with a mirror
background having text on it.
Verify that you are human.
Before entering the exhibition space, you must fulfill a TSA-like requirement similar to
air travel. You must verify that you can recognize human suffering, regardless of its location or
the identity of those responsible.
Thesis Video