Dream of Venus is a poster series by Rohit Paranjape that explores material-led design through cyanotype and letterpress printing. Developed as a research-driven print project, the series investigates how analogue processes, physical limitations, and chance influence visual decision-making, offering a considered alternative to screen-based design culture.
The project takes its conceptual starting point from Salvador Dalí’s Dream of Venus pavilion, created for the New York World’s Fair in 1930. Water, a recurring motif within the pavilion, became central to Paranjape’s approach and informed the use of cyanotype as a primary image-making process. The chemistry of cyanotype printing, shaped by exposure time, light, and material behaviour, guided both the subject matter and visual direction of the posters.
Letterpress printing was introduced as a typographic counterpart to the cyanotypes. Paranjape selected the process in response to the industrial sans serif and formal serif typefaces associated with printed matter from the 1930s. The typesetting draws from posters and flyers of the era, while accompanying texts written by Dalí establish a direct historical connection between image, language, and process.
The final outcome is a limited edition set of three posters combining archival imagery of the pavilion with layered cyanotype surfaces and carefully considered typography. Rather than reproducing a historical artefact, Dream of Venus reinterprets it through material experimentation, allowing the physical qualities of ink, paper, and impression to shape the work’s meaning.
Based in Mumbai, Paranjape’s broader practice centres on analogue techniques and hands-on research. Dream of Venus reflects an ongoing interest in materiality and the role of traditional printmaking processes in contemporary visual culture, where process is not secondary to outcome but an active driver of design itself.
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- Dream of Venus Examines Material-led Design Through Analogue Printmaking - February 3, 2026
- Words That Sound Like Nothing but Mean Everything - February 1, 2026
- Printing in the Wind: The Absurd Red & White Machine by Hagai Farago - January 28, 2026
