Michelle Pilz

2022

_______________

Ekata (Nepalese for "unity") is the result of a four-month stay at the orphanage "Namaste Children Nepal". The facility is funded by the French organisation "Pyrénées Catalanes aide au Népal" and is located in a small town near the capital Kathmandu. The aim was to organise workshops with the children and offer them various opportunities for creative exchange (depending on their interests). Among other activities, a three-day trip to Chitwan National Park was organised with the help of donations. During the stay on site, photos and videos were taken of the place and life at NCN. In creative workshops with the children, the magazine EKATA was produced, which reflects the thoughts and interests of the children. The project was presented in form of an exhibition in Germany.

A project with

Philippine Feraldo | Anna Wiebke Färber | Théo Mostacci

Supported by

Pyrénées Catalanes Nepal

THE TITLE

The lettering of the title is made up of individual letters that the children wrote in their texts. The aim of the project was not to design a project about the children, but to let the children play a decisive role in shaping it. Thus the name of the project, which means unity, comes from the children, as do the letters that later cover the exhibition and the magazine.

the exhibition

The project was summarised in an exhibition in August 2022. The aim of the exhibition was to allow visitors to participate in this far-away place and thus create visibility. Through a video work, the calls and the life in the orphanage resounded in the exhibition hall and accompanied the viewers as they explored the exhibition of photos and creations. Both the application on Instagram and the poster were strongly inspired by the idea of unity. Different elements were combined with each other. The Instagram account was designed in such a way that the various posts ultimately form an overall picture as a unit.

#eb5f3f

The color tone plays a special role in the visual design of the project. Alongside the lettering, it forms a large part of EKATA's visual identity. The color was inspired by both the paint of the orphanage, which resembles a red-orange, and one of Nepal's most important flowers: the marigold flower. The flower is very present in the everyday life of the children and plays a role in numerous festivals.

Photo: Théo Mostacci

the magazine

The ekata magazine was created together with the children of the orphanage. It presents the children, their everyday lives, their wishes and thoughts. It is a handy summary of a place, a picture of a moment in time.

the cookbook

During the stay in Nepal, a cookery book was created containing the recipes prepared daily by the house mothers in the orphanage. The booklet is available in English, French and German. All proceeds are donated to the orphanage.

the workshops

Various workshops were organised on site. This allowed the children to express their creativity and learn new techniques. In the area of design, I focused on workshops relating to form and colour.