Freund*innenschaft
Description
This book appreciates and celebrates. It mourns. What always has been there and never got the attention it deserved. It gives space and examines. And it creates community by doing so. Freund*innenschaft is a conceptual book to uncover and depict friendship among womxn. It sheds light on a significant contemporary yet historic issue: The problematic socialization through patriarchy that makes womxn rather opponents than friends.Freund*innenschaft is based on the term friendship but made inclusive and dedicated to people who were socialized or identify as women and queer people.
Inspired by the concept of community and creating space for womxns' voices, I was led in conversation with my friends on their perspective of friendship among womxn. Every one of them wrote a text about Freund*innenschaft, each incorporating different aspects of it. To depict the idea of diverse voices being led together, unconventionally both typography and image run towards the center of the book. Because of that, typographic parameters are used to make navigating easier. Specifically for the end of every chapter illustrated characters mark the level of detail the project has to offer. The book's spine can be bent 180 degrees: In this way it can unfold itself to the third dimension, it takes its space in a star-like shape, referring back to the concept of different perspectives coming together.
The book’s design and illustrations are meant to communicate the characteristics of Freund*innenschaft on different levels. The illustrations are inspired by depictions from medieval times used to publicly accuse women of witchcraft. In contrast, the illustrations of Freund*innenschaft encourage solidarity among womxn. The linen cover, the gentle ribbon and the typographic choice for the venetian renaissance antiqua support the traditional atmosphere of the book. However, the typography’s unexpected features in combination with the dazzling colors create a twist in its aesthetic.
