Javeria Sheikh

Graphic Design - BA (Hons)

‘Liberty Is Ours’ reflects on the language of racial abuse. It offers an intimate and honest view of the experiences of victims, visualising the negative words often used against them. Taking abusive language out of its original context forces it to be exposed to the viewer, as a result they are obliged to interact with it in a new way.

Javeria's typographic installation evokes a barren, isolated space, produced in response to her gathering of first-hand experiences from individuals who have been racially abused. The purpose is to give importance to the way language makes us feel. This can be an unusual and unsettling experience for the viewer, as they experience the harsh statements experienced by people of colour. Javeria's hope is that it restores some perspective and allows us all to reflect upon things that truly matter. It questions how the media and literature have become so desensitised that the language we use to express opinion has become a medium of hate: have we stopped giving consequence to our most important medium of communication?

Her project aims to make victims feel expressed, supported, heard and to create a space, using language and typography to express visually, what is felt by many.