L’Âge d’or, une épopée politique, Maison de la Culture d’Amiens
The Golden Age, a political epos is the title of an exhibition that took place at the Maison de la Culture in Amiens, France, in 2021. It was dedicated to the original artwork of Âge d’Or, a French graphic novel by Cyril Pedrosa and Roxanne Moreil.
The work appeared in two volumes in 2018 and 2020, respectively. On the top level, it is a fairy tale of a princess in the middle ages, largely inspired by medieval society, literature, and visual art. On a secondary level, however, it is a parable of our Western societies of the early 21st century, addressing topics such as class society, the relation between sexes, and the question how well-established societal orders can come to a change. The graphic novel was a big success in France and won several prizes.
The exhibition in Amiens was mounted in the framework of the 25th Festival de la bande dessinée. It was designed by Julien Lelièvre whose scenography allowed for an immersive delve into the artwork of the books. Spectators could learn about the genesis of the novel and find thematic points of access to the topics addressed.
From the typographic realm, Julien Lelièvre chose Media Sans, a family by Production Type first launched in 2015 and still being extended. The big typographic panels show Media Sans Extended Black in the headlines, together with the yet to be released text version of that typeface. Distinctive features that can be very well observed in this application are the extreme x-height of the lowercase letters and their almost non-existing ascenders and decenders. Eye catching!
