public address system – poster speeches by typographers
edited by angharad lewis, harriet warden, thom winterburn and paul finn

Besides his report of the non-violent struggle of Tibet for independence from China, Dalai Lama focused on his annual claim for world peace. He described global interdependence and suggested the improvement of mankind's "universal responsibility" beyond nations and religions. The poster presents the text in its entirety. While maintaining the Tibetan situation within the speech, more common aspects of world peace are highlighted with a marker-like fluorescent orange.

The poster is designed with three levels of accessibility. The form text is shaping a Quentin Tarantino-like situation of three armed men pointing their weapons at each other, forming a circle of violence. The silhouettes are showing warriors of different ages implementing the ongoing failure of mankind to achieve world peace. The highlights represent the second level to engage the curious viewer to step closer and read. Once the highlighted sentences and fragments summarise the speech, the audience might be intrigued enough to explore the complete text.

One aspect of the minimal poster concept reflects Dalai Lama, the 'simple monk' and his straightforward message of world peace but is in stark contrast to the distortion of legibility. his disturbance shows the complexity of civilisation and plays with the perception of the 'world peace message' being repeated time and again – losing its meaning and impact through millennia, centuries and decades.

see close-ups of the poster and pictures of the exhibitions in london and berlin
public address system, london
public address system, berlin

you can read the entire speech here
[ his holiness the dalai lama, 24 oct 2001 | tibet.ca ]

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