Loss/Capture: Volume 1, the State of Black Cultural Archives is an editorial project by Sixty Inches From Center that explores Black archives within and beyond Chicago.
In the letter from the editors, Steven D. Booth and Stacie Williams wrote “At this dissonant crossroads, Loss/Capture aims to explore the rich and complex cultural experiences, contributions, and challenges of Black life across time and temporality. Together, our contributors share a holistic understanding of how our history is captured—through music, memory, manuscripts, murals, and movements—with a dynamic vision to grow, preserve, and share ideas about Black liberation, love, and art with subsequent generations.”
The duality of the name “Loss/Capture” represents two sides of archiving and preservation. What is lost within Black culture when these archives aren’t preserved? And how do we actively capture and preserve the culture as we currently live through it?
The logo is a result of examining and visualizing this duality. “Loss” is placed against a black background, with black representing a vacancy of a material item. Conversely, “capture” is on a light manila color to counter the black and present a found and preserved object.
The logo is a result of examining and visualizing this duality. “Loss” is placed against a black background, with black representing a vacancy of a material item. Conversely, “capture” is on a light manila color to counter the black and present a found and preserved object.
The manila color was inspired by a conversation with the project’s editors in which they had mentioned the tactile nature of archives and documents, sometimes kept in manila envelopes. The rest of the colors used throughout the website were inspired by the brilliant collages by Kiki Lechuga-Dupont used for each article and interview.
