We all have secrets which will never be heard, but behind an anonymous digital shield, we can relieve ourselves of those burdens.
I posted a phone number underneath the words “TEXT UR SECRET” throughout the streets of Dublin to see what our community wanted to get off their chests. With this text-line, I discovered the ways in which Irish people can find solace in digital confession. They used this new-found space to unveil internalised secrets, share heartfelt stories and tell a few jokes.
I began looking into what makes us feel safe to share such secrets. In this way, this project became an exploration of the human mind. I’m drawn to the way in which an unsigned digital billet-doux can reveal parts of humanity that are usually unspoken. The concept of “chinese-whispers” became an integral part of the process as it progressed, playing with the idea that a thought can be uttered in one way and interpreted in another, therefore evolving over time. I used this notion to create my typeface, tracing the secret texts over and over to create an almost-resemblance in the letterface. Then, influenced directly by my environment, I created images to reflect the spaces in which the texts were received. I'm obsessed with those moments of sonder.
The work you see here is made with the power of an inky rollerball pen, a DIY lightbox and a few moments with an Apple pencil.
Strictly Anonymous Collaborative Diary, double page spread
The phone full of secrets
Documentation of how the secrets were collected, risograph-printed and coil bound
The by-products, original printed advertisement material and the 'Text Secret' typeface
Strictly Anonymous Collaborative Diary
Front and back cover
Double-page spreads showcasing the secrets collected, Strictly Anonymous Collaborative Diary
The future of the phone full of secrets, explored in risograph-printed posters
The Safe Place, the behind the scenes process