Sector 2: Nicosia
The Green Line has divided Nicosia, the last split capital of Europe, for over six decades. When the Leventis Municipal Museum decided to explore the story of this infamous divide, they appointed appios® to bring a temporary exhibition to life, requesting an appealing identity to offer a fresh perspective on the city’s partition.
The exhibition title, "Sector 2," directly references UNFICYP’s designated control areas (Dead Zone), which span 30km from Mammari village to Kaimakli in the east of Nicosia. The typography of the exhibition title reflects a typewriter-style font, showcasing the way ink smudges as the marks of time become apparent.
The exhibition’s colour palette was thoughtfully chosen to represent the natural and urban elements of the capital. Green is primarily incorporated as a direct nod to the Green Line itself. Shades of grey, beige, and light blue serve as indirect references to barbed wire, sandbags, and the UN uniform.
Photographic materials depicting historical events enhance the exhibition's identity. The appios® team carefully designed a curated graphic identity that feels contemporary to support the chronological narrative across four thematic sections featuring old documents, objects, works of art and oral testimonies, as well as artistic interventions including installations and video art.
“To further engage the viewer’s interest, a sentence was placed beneath the exhibition title that is almost illegible at first, crossed out with a striking black line reminiscent of confidential military archives.”
“We focused on an innovative museological approach that highlights themes of ‘memories,’ ‘the present,’ and ‘interaction.’ The goal was to illuminate lesser-known aspects of history while encouraging visitors to grasp the collective trauma experienced by residents of Nicosia on both sides of the dividing line in a city that feels both familiar and foreign.”
Publication
A fresh and poignant perspective on the city’s partition and its sixty-year history was successfully conveyed when the appios® team created the identity for an exhibition at the Leventis Municipal Museum, dedicated to Nicosia’s Green Line. To enhance the exhibition’s impact, appios® designers also produced a bilingual catalogue in Greek and English, rich in text and photographs.
The publication includes a historical chronology of the exhibition and excerpts from important testimonies. The first spread features two dynamic photographs that indirectly reference military uniforms and camouflage.
As readers progress through the subsequent chapters, the design transitions to a simpler and more modern aesthetic while photographs tell captivating stories that capture the emotional significance of past events, giving the publication a unique and engaging quality.
“The cover of this bilingual publication was designed to resemble a folder, symbolizing the act of archiving. This is reflected in the initial pages and in the sections that feature personal testimonies.”
“Although the catalogue documents history, the significance of past events is brought forward to the present day with striking graphics. The impactful use of various all-black pages also attracts the reader’s gaze and enhances the sense of drama.”
