As part of the Hip Hop for Social Change residency, type designer and calligrapher Benjamin ROUZAUD was invited to the Gate 44 art printing workshop in Milan for a creative retreat. The program alternated between meetings, location scouting, formal and conceptual research, followed by a production phase of works on paper and an exhibition at the workshop.
The curatorial intention explores the encounter between socially engaged hip-hop culture and the calligraphic gesture: writing, rhythm, repetition, flow. In dialogue with Gate 44's expertise, the production relies on artisanal printing techniques, particularly screen printing.
This encounter with the world of print imposes a technical framework on the calligrapher that pushes them to evolve their practice and explore new gestures. The constraints inherent to printing (registration, halftoning, drying time) as well as its aesthetic and formal possibilities (overlays, reserves, variations) foster these transformations.
The coordination covered the entire project chain: artistic direction, design, workshop prints, mediation and public events.
The final presentation blends this visual vocabulary with the chosen lyrics to compose a singular aesthetic encounter.
