Hasan Kamil

Traditional hand-rendered signwriting inspired the type-based work for Hasan Kamil’s commission, which was displayed in the Re-membering II exhibition at RWA.  The typefaces Kamil chose to rework were based on typical early twentieth-century lettering and fonts.  For Kamil, the decision to use these traditional methods ‘seemed natural as the majority of business signs and street advertisements during the era of the First World War would have been crafted and painted by hand’.

Kamil experimented with a range of materials and processes to create the works, fusing both established techniques such as signwriting with the use of more modern equipment.  Each of the three pieces in the series was created slightly differently.  The custom shaped signs were designed digitally.  The designs were then cut from sheets of MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) wood using a CnC Router - a computer controlled cutting machine - with different blades employed to create the bevelled borders.  To complete the works, Kamil sketched the letters by hand and filled them in with a combination of acrylic paint, emulsion paint with a matt finish and enamel (fusing glass on to metal) to create a solid shape.

Kamil intended the three selected words to be ‘fitting and relevant’ to the remembrance of the First World War.  In contrast to celebrating the concept of war, Triumph represents ‘the personal, individual triumphs people went through overcoming the challenges and hardships of war.’  The word Discipline is rooted in the concept of military discipline, which Kamil regards as ‘one of the key factors that enabled the soldiers of the First World War to endure terrible conditions and high casualties.’  Despite its catastrophic effects, the Great War also led to ‘developments in medicine, warfare, geopolitics and social relations…its influence still resonates today.’  For this reason, Kamil felt the word Legacy would be an appropriate choice.

Designer Hasan Kamil currently undertakes product development for Shiner Ltd., one of the UK’s leading distributors of action sports goods.  Kamil specialises in the branding, specification and artwork for a range of different brands.  His artwork is primarily rooted in graffiti art and the letter form is his main focus.  Using letters as a foundation, Kamil’s work has diversified into a wide range of medium including paintings, drawings, sign writing, web design, large scale 3D woodwork and murals.  In recent years, Kamil has completed numerous commissions and youth work shops. Visit his website at hasankamil.tumblr.com/