Sacha Léopold and François Havegeer have worked together as Syndicat since 2012. Their cross-disciplinary practice, taking in self-initiated projects as well as design-based commissions, addresses issues of originality, reproduction, and reproducibility in the context of art today, using their expansive knowledge of printing and manufacturing techniques whether designing books, creating visual identities, or curating exhibitions.
Syndicat has actively collaborated with contemporary artists and art centers to create one-of-a-kind visual identity programs, monographs, and artists’ books, leading to the creation of empire, their own publishing imprint in which they published IBM and NASA graphic standards reprints as well as Revue Faire, a magazine focusing on art and design printed twice a month. Alongside their design activities, they have curated several exhibitions exploring the techniques and processes of printing.
In response to the Walker’s invitation, Syndicat responded:
On November 24, the Walker Art Center asked us about our 2018 year. Let’s reply from @s-y-n-d-i-c-a-t phones in 280 characters.
1.
Thanks to the @centrepompidou’s Bibliothèque Kandinsky for letting us reorganize the space into a studio space for sticking 180,000 stickers in The Middle Of The World, by @yonatanvinitsky.
2.
There’s @aigadesign, @agigraphic, and then there’s football every Monday in Paris with @spasskyfischer, @olivierlebrun, and @bizzarri_rodriguez.
3.
After fou years of collaboration in making the entire design ID, we decided to stop working with @villaduparc_centredart.
4.
When the best place for @IBM Standard Manual proof checking is outside. And @empire.b.o.o.k.s.
5.
ISIS militants made headlines for destroying culture, history, and sculpture. We decided to document these atrocious acts by assembling a printed visual archive, titled Proof, that is composed of video screenshots from ISIS propaganda films.
6.
How can we talk about an iconic graphic design project if we can’t touch it? We curated Ce n’est pas la taille qui compte at the @fnagp with @qntnschmrbr and @r_vy.
7.
Always funny to see @nasa clothes in every shop since we published NASA, Danne & Blackburn’s Graphics Standards Manual reprint.
8.
Very exciting first fashion show by @collectif_gamut at la station @collectifmu. Photo by @juliaandreone.
9.
Finally there is a place when architecture can meet art, graphic design, and talks. And it’s even in Prague. @camppraha: where the great @vitjebavy and @frantisek.kast organized @phasebook_cz.
10.
We figured out how to manage the stock of @revuefaire arriving twice a month!
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