Paul Dersidan Design & Direction

Extemporalis

Inspired by high school paper exams, Extemporalis translates questions from eight subjects — literature, history, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography, and biology — into visual form. Each artwork is structured as a grid reflecting the grade received in that subject and features drawings that respond to exam prompts, ranging from historic events or literary figures to geometric, mathematical, and economic diagrams. Hand-drawn, the works are finished with a dithering effect that breaks images into fine dispersed dots, suggesting the instability of recollection and the fragmented ways knowledge is retained.Ilford Studio Matt 235 gsm, mounted on 5mm foamboard • Typeface — Neue Haas Unica • Printed at Safelight • 25 × 43 cm — 9.8 × 16.9 in

Overlapping white sheets printed with blue dotted scientific and pictorial diagrams
Blue dotted illustrations of animals, a hut and a fire arranged in a gridded pageBlue dotted illustrations of landscapes, people and animals in a gridded pageBlue dotted icons including figures, a turtle and scales in a gridded pageBlue dotted geometric diagrams and objects arranged in a gridded page
Blue dotted still-life objects, diagrams and a dense field of dots in a gridded pageBlue dotted boat, jars, tools and molecule-like forms in a gridded pageBlue dotted natural forms, waves and architectural fragments in a gridded pageBlue dotted organic forms, animals and utensils in a tall gridded page
Blue dotted illustrations of animals, a hut and a fire arranged in a gridded page
Blue dotted illustrations of landscapes, people and animals in a gridded page
Blue dotted icons including figures, a turtle and scales in a gridded page
Blue dotted geometric diagrams and objects arranged in a gridded page
Blue dotted still-life objects, diagrams and a dense field of dots in a gridded page
Blue dotted boat, jars, tools and molecule-like forms in a gridded page
Blue dotted natural forms, waves and architectural fragments in a gridded page
Blue dotted organic forms, animals and utensils in a tall gridded page
Close-up of a blue dotted illustration sheet showing figures and landscape formsClose-up of blue dotted animal and figure illustrations in square panels
Close-up of a blue dotted row of small figures and symbolsClose-up of blue dotted geometric crystals and angular diagrams
Close-up of dense blue dotted texture beside a small object diagramClose-up of blue dotted boat, tools and clustered organic form drawings
Close-up of blue dotted natural forms, waves and circular pattern drawingsClose-up of blue dotted organic illustrations on a white gridded sheet