“Breathe In: Emotions of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition”, with photographs by Filip Dowjat, goes behind the scenes of the 2021 competition. Dowjat photographed participants before and after their performances, capturing concentration, tension, solitude, relief and anticipation. The Fryderyk Chopin Institute published the book; Joanna Kinowska selected and sequenced the photographs.
The title captures the moment before the first sound – a breath between backstage and stage, silence and performance. This threshold became the book’s central idea. The design does not illustrate music, but creates space for the tension and concentration in the photographs, guiding the reader through the emotional rhythm of the Chopin Competition.
A dark cover, subtle embossing and restrained layouts give photography the leading role. A photographic index adds the location, date, participant and Chopin work performed to each image, combining an emotional narrative with documentary context. The project included the graphic concept, layout, multilingual content and preparation of the publication for print.
We used Migra, whose high-contrast forms and sharp details reflect the tension present in the photographs. Pangram Pangram Foundry featured the book as an example of the typeface in use. Printing on uncoated offset paper and precise control of the black ink preserved the depth, detail and tonal range of the photographs, as well as their raw, intimate character.
