타이포잔치 Typojanchi 2013

La Balsamine

2011–ongoing
Various media

OSP
Founded in 2006, Brussels
Current active members include:
Pierre Huyghebaert, b. 1969, Belgium
Ludivine Loiseau, b. 1983, France
Pierre Marchand, b. 1973, France
Alexandre Leray, b. 1984, France
Stéphanie Vilayphiou, b. 1983, France
Eric Schrijver, b. 1984, the Netherlands
Gijs de Heij, b. 1988, the Netherlands
Sarah Magnan, b. 1985, France
Colm O’Neil, b. 1989, Ireland
osp.constantvzw.org

OSP (Open Source Publishing) makes graphic design using only free and open source software—pieces of software that invite their users to take part in their elaboration. Founded in 2006 in the context of Brussels art organization Constant, the OSP caravan now comprises a group of individuals from different backgrounds and practices: typography, graphic design, cartography, programming, mathematics, writing and performance. Through a collaborative practice, they work on workshops, commissioned or self-commissioned projects, searching to redefine their playground, digging towards a more intimate relation with the tools.

OSP has worked with organizations both large and small, and collaborated with individual artists. They have organized workshops at many art schools, including Royal College of Art, London; Merz Akademie, Stuttgart; and Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam, as well as cultural events such as Vietnam Open Design Week and Chaumont International Poster and Graphic Design Festival. Significantly in divided Belgium, they have won both of the two regional book design awards, of Flanders and Brussels/Wallonia.

La Balsamine is one of the main contemporary French-speaking theaters in Brussels. When Balsamine hired OSP in 2011—being one of the first larger institutions to do so—they understood that it meant going beyond the usual client-vendor relationship. Since then, OSP has worked on the program brochures, posters, flyers, website, publications, on-site graphics and recently, to underscore the extent to which the design is embedded into the fabric of the organization, an evening-filling performance. Although the mediums are diverse—and the intentions are no doubt serious—there is a consistent sense of exhilaration: the almost childlike joy of making, of playing with tools and materials in a way that goes against the notion of “proper” use, and of doing it with other people.

Courtesy: the artist

Installation view at Typojanchi 2013