Topic:

BEHIND

Brief description:

In an era of randomness, superficiality, and digital personas, it has become increasingly difficult to truly understand a person’s inner world. BEHIND challenges participants to go beyond the surface by creating a reader—a magazine that deeply explores the whole character of a single person, whether real or fictive. Over the course of two weeks, participants will develop a rich, multi-layered narrative, diving into emotions, contradictions, and complexities such as desire, stress, fantasy, depression, fame, shame, restlessness, sleeplessness, overkill, and inner thoughts. Through storytelling, photography, visual language, and editorial design, the project will bring forth the hidden facets of a person, exposing their moods, talents, and evolving states of being.

Key Learning Areas:
1. Character Study & Development: Understanding a person's psychological and emotional depth.
2. Storytelling & Content Creation: Crafting compelling, immersive narratives.
3. Visual & Editorial Design: Establishing picture tonality, typography, and layout strategies.
4. Mood & Atmosphere:Translating emotions into visual and textual storytelling. By the end of the course, each participant will have produced a unique, concept-driven magazine that deeply explores their chosen character—going beyond superficial representation and into the heart of human experience.

Biography:

Verena Panholzer, founder and Art Director of Studio Es in Vienna, has a graphic and industrial design background. Having worked at agencies with brands such as Adidas and Apple, she specialises in identity-focused projects, primarily in the arts and culture sector. The highly conceptual work of Studio Es is bold, concept-driven, experimental, and evocative, spanning multiple media. Over the years, the studio has received numerous international awards, and Verena Panholzer has been invited to serve on juries, speak at conferences, and participate in festivals. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

In addition to her work at the studio, she has held guest professorships at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart and the University of Arts Linz. She currently teaches Typography at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in the Department of Narrative Media and Transmedia Art.