40Mustaqel’s future-facing publications are “skeptical of design boundaries”

Curiosity-forward and research-heavy, 40Mustaqel sit as an interface between times and spaces – catching up with the studio again, we see how it’s extending its reach from Cairo to the world. In keeping with the “visually dense overwhelm that’s specific to Cairo”, the studio does not stray from its core principles in haptic, sonic, and temporal experimental methods.

Honing in on two publication projects from the studio, Isdar Mustaqel and Palestine From Above, It’s Nice That delved deeper with 40Mustaqel’s Tasneem Hozaien and fellow art director Nadine El Gabry. Both drawn to publication design in its values as “tangible and enduring cultural artefacts” vital in under-documented areas, cartographies and geographies are key themes for the studio’s projects. By opening up what is already geographically visible, Arab futures are redefined and reimagined – deviating from myth.

Time is a backdrop 40Mustaqel anchors in, in deep scrutiny of what it means to be conventional. There is a sense of ownership over time; the studio is interested in the moulding and preservation of “the present moment as it’s come to be shaped – to be a part of shaping it”, says art director Tasneem Hozaien. 40Mustaqel, in the wrestle against the clock of immediate relevance, it thrives in this constant reconciliation of “past inspiration and future tastes” made tactile in publication.

In 2022, 40Mustaqel was approached by A.M. Qattan Foundation to create an accompanying book for Ramallah-based exhibition Palestine From Above. Looking into ideologies within a cultural committee, colonial powers are seen to be reinforced by surveillance and, more importantly, aerial technologies in the subjugations and negligence to Palestinian existence and geographies. Tasneem says: “Tackling the cartographically contentious Zionist myth that Palestine had been on an empty land before their arrival, we developed a grid system that mirrored the top-down gaze they held on the land.”

Plots of white spaces are emptied and text is scattered. Page numbers take the role of coordinates, and the reader takes on the role of the researcher. An image taken from a German Air squadron, showing a bird’s-eye view of Palestine, contains detailed metadata of flight, date, hour of photo, name of locality photographed, altitude, ordinal number, and squadron number. In search of the ancient, we seek to preserve for the contemporary. These archives are rich – a quote from French ethnologist Marcel Giuaule reads, “The aerial photograph is a talking map,” and 40Mustaqel is shouting.

The studio’s Isdar Mustaqel project takes inspiration from the aesthetics and functionalities of Islamic manuscripts. Tasneem explains: “Texts evolved through scholarly interaction and marginalia served as commentary, annotations, and alternative readings.” She likens these points to 40Mustaqel’s curatorial process, “consciously mirroring a similar layering of content.” Transience and evolution take hold of the publication, narrated by the studio’s growth from its founding in 2020. Its mission in preserving dialogues is materialised into tangible form. Nadine traces the project’s impact on the studio’s growth. “Working on Isdar ignited our interest in the possibilities of publishing and curatorial work. It deepened a curiosity in us to hear more stories from authors, artists, and cultural workers.”

What is next for 40Mustaqel? Nadine sets the scene for the future’s landscape, describing it as a place to “experiment, redefine, and be skeptical of design boundaries”. Ultimately, narratives from the region will continue to be unpacked and reimagined via challenging conventionalities.