Underground
Artist Statement
This poster series was created based off of the Underground Railroad; more specifically, the methods of communication used to alert slaves, show the paths, when to hide and leave, and how they would achieve freedom. These posters seek to highlight the oral forms of communication used rather than the physical naturalistic marks, the Big Dipper or Drinking Gourd being one of the more famous. Spirituals or African songs, railroad jargon, and even animals noises were regularly utilized as a form of communication; even a slight change in intonation, pitch, or speed could convey a different meaning. To outsiders, this coded language meant nothing, much like these posters. Created in a more contemporary style, I decided to move away from what posters and advertisements during this time period typically looked like. Using vibrant colors, abstract figures, and different fonts, this project seeks to move in direct opposition to what other ads of this time were seeking, which was typically run away slaves. This poster series is unified by a simple circle of railroad tracks. This sort of logo marks these posters as belonging to the same, for lack of a better word, “advertisement campaign”. As they visualize the use of oral communication for travel along the Underground Railroad, they can convey several messages to those aware of the language as well as provide a sense of hope. The text in each poster is not necessarily legible, and it is not meant to be. Slaves were often illiterate, so being able to read the code words I have included, particularly in Code Error, is not entirely necessary. Instead, this causes the viewer to pause longer, to fully absorb the images before them. The abstraction allows for a wide variety of interpretations from the viewer. On a final note, if the viewer is wondering where to begin, I would say consider the reasoning behind certain color usage, the jarring feeling behind the repetition of images, and why many of the shapes are so simple.
