Jamie George

Youth in Parts, as a project began in 2019 during an artist residency in Athens, Greece. The project has developed to focus on creating and collating a series of 'fragments'. These short texts examine the historical vandalism, abuse, reuse, and reappropriation of the archaic kouros statues (grave markers depicting idealised free-standing youths). Alongside writing about experiences of self-harm, eating disorders, and my own adolescence, exploring how youth may be defined by its loss. 

 

Central to the project has been the creation of a typeface. Through the font's design, I have been asking questions about colonial appropriation, the act and gesture of cutting and vandalism, and notions of formal decay. I used a version of the Caslon Egyptian font, the first general-purpose sans-serif typeface in the Latin alphabet. Forged by the Caslon type foundry in London, around 1816. The typeface was a response to the popularity of notions of antiquity and 'Egyptomania' at the time.

 

Two a-n artist bursaries supported the project. I have had mentoring and support from Edward Doegar, Sam Buchan-Watts, Sarah Tripp and Rose Nordin, and the Greek and Roman Department at the British Museum. Much of the typeface was created during a residency at Hospitalfield, Scotland, in October 2021. An Omni Colour Artist Award 2021, aiding experimentation and testing of the font and layout over the last 6-months and has made it possible to print the billboard posters.

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Please click HERE for a full project statement.

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Below are a series of images indicative of the billboard posters I am producing for the project.