We chose “Visual Translation” as the name for the workshop because we discovered through it how texts and stories could be expressed visually in different ways, resulting in a collective artistic publication.
The workshop was based on texts written during the research phase of the program “Beit El-‘Aila: The Home as an Archive of the Changing City.”
Translation, in this context, was the process we went through in the workshop — analyzing a text, thinking about how its meaning could be translated visually, and questioning whether the result of this visual translation would add to or take away from the original text.
We explored which visual technique would suit each text best — photography, drawing, collage, or comics. We also considered the type of paper, the printing method appropriate to each idea, and even the kind of binding that would suit the publication, among other details.
The outcome of the workshop was a collection of different artistic prints that visually interpreted the texts and gave them a new dimension.
About the workshop facilitator:
Moira Ali is a graphic designer and illustrator. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Arts at the German University in Cairo (GUC), and a Master’s degree from the European Academy of Art in Brittany (EESAB) in Lorient, France.
Since 2016, Moira has been working as a freelance designer in the cultural field, creating publications for cultural centers and independent art institutions such as the Contemporary Image Collective (CIC), Cairo Contemporary Dance Center (CCDC), Mahatat for Contemporary Art, Bussy Project, Coral Project, and Dar El Mahrousa.
She is currently an assistant lecturer at the German University in Cairo, where she teaches information design, illustration, and principles of graphic design.