Surface Echoes is a resource that was developed over three years with input from creative professionals, arts and health researchers, working in partnership with individuals affected by eczema. Led by Professor Sara Brown and Beverley Hood, Surface Echoes brings to life the everyday challenges and emotional impact of eczema. Using verbatim quotes of people affected by eczema, a text collage was produced by artists Beverley Hood and Catherine Street. The collage was then transformed in to two downloadable resources – a printable PDF script of the collage and an audio version – developed to create empathy, spark conversation, and deepen understanding of the realities of living with eczema.
I was involved with making the collage of the Surface Echoes script available digitally as a PDF, manipulating the scanned version in Photoshop to make it easier to read and understand while still maintaining the scratchy, disruptive aesthetic of the original. I worked closely with Beverley Hood and Catherine Street, reading through the script to analyse how the degraded collaged form slows down the reader to create a more thoughtful reading experience and how that engagement can be improved with subtle typographic interventions.
In addition, I was involved in recording the audio version of the script, adding my voice alongside Elicia Daly, Claire Doyle, Dyfan Dwfor, Pauline Goldsmith and Sarah Rose Graber in a sound design by Liam Russell.
The printable PDF script and audio version of Surface Echoes can be downloaded here.
