Uncovering the History of Bunhill Fields

An Unburied History of Bunhill Fields utilises a collage/DIY zine inspired visual style, which lends itself nicely to the nature of the project. Taking bits and pieces of a history, recontextualising them and adding different elements to create a new, alternative version of that history, the project serves as a kind of collaged version of Bunhill’s history, embracing the chaotic, jumbled up nature of the site, which was once the dumping ground for thousands of cartloads of bones.

The project exclusively uses typefaces designed by women, and incorporates a predominantly pink, red and yellow colour palette, reflecting trends in feminist art and design over the past few years

Each of the five women whose (exaggerated and falsified) stories are explored through the project have been created through different methods, and have visual styles that reflect that. From redaction, to distortion, to hand generated type, each story gives different glimpses of the lives of the women buried at Bunhill Fields Burial Ground. This involved extensive experimentation with creating effective visuals.

Much of the collaged material used in the project comes from The Wellcome Collection’s online catalogue, with other imagery being sourced from The British Library and The Bishopsgate Institute

The project was also a continuation of an experiment from semester one, in which I documented the real stories of a handful of women at Bunhill using the minimal accessible information, and introducing a snarky tone to point out how little of the stories had been recorded.

If you’re interested in further information on the design process, a book including a reproduction of the main project, process work & other experiments that influenced the project is available for purchase here