Anthropo–Scenes

Tweets featuring the #anthropocene were collected for a period of 6+ months, then distilled and typeset with a single versatile type family—Halyard—on 17 banners, each measuring 10.5' tall.
Type is cramped and heavy at the top—much like how abstract and overwhelming the Anthropocene can be—then is clarified as viewers interact with the lower portion of each banner.
Each tweet is flanked by the author's username and date of tweet, offering a sense of connection with the text.

Landscapes, climate, and today’s current age—the Anthropocene—all share one feature: they have been shaped by humans. My MFA thesis, Anthropo–Scenes, investigates our species’ impact on Earth through a body of work that uses personal narratives to ground the complexities of the Anthropocene.

Featuring thousands of curated tweets linked by the #anthropocene, this immersive piece served as the culminating installation of my thesis project. These collective messages reveal a global dialogue that connects people of different ages and backgrounds. Reflecting the Anthropocene’s immense scale, this project challenges viewers to assign their own meaning to this new age.

Typeface: Halyard by Eben Sorkin, Joshua Darden, and Lucas Sharp.

Designer, Curator
Cora McKenzie
Thesis Advisor, Program Director
Jennifer Cole Phillips
Thesis Advisor
Ellen Lupton
Thesis Advisor
Elaine Lopez
Photographer
Dan Meyers
Project link