Lektorat and Bely in Costume Agency publication

The Norwegian Costume Agency Artistic Research Project hosted the 2020 edition of the Critical Costume Conference and Exhibition. The project researches the agency of costume in performance and how costume can generate or be a centre of gravitation in performance.  The main researchers are Christina Lindgren (Oslo National Academy of the Arts) and Sodja Lotker (Academy of Performing Arts in Prague). The research in Costume Agency is primarily approached in workshops led by costume designers, which pursue the vision embedded in the garment. The book provides documentation and reflections on eight workshops held in different European cities, as well as several essays that add context to the project.

The book, designed by Filip Blažek’s studio Designiq, combines the grotesque sans Lektorat Display for titles and the mechanical serif Bely Text for continuous reading.
The cover typography is embossed with a matte foil, giving the book a light haptic dimension. The publication was printed by H. R. G. on Pergraphica Rough paper in two different shades.

Designed by Florian Fecher, Lektorat, which received in 2021 our Gerard Unger Scholarship,  is the sans family capable of setting a full range of editorial publishing. Its six concentrated text styles speak directly to readers, and its three display widths equal 42 additional styles capable of informing, persuading, and entertaining en masse.

Bely, also awarded with our Scholarship, is Roxane Gataud’s venturesome text font family paired with a fearless display in the French style. Built upon classical proportions to capitalise on reading familiarity, Bely’s four text weights combine comfortable reading with an admirable texture.

Taken together, the subject matter of costume as principal actor, the visual presentation, and the contrasting typefaces combine to highlight the subject of materiality and its role in our identity and interactivity with the world at large.