PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL — State institution Rio Grande do Sul Public Library and creative agency DZ Estudio have launched the “Read a Woman” project which aims to raise awareness and encourage readers to read books by women.
According to Morgana Marcon, director of the public library, “The idea stemmed from one of society’s most pressing issues today, that is no different in the field of literature: gender disparity. This got us thinking about how we could offer more visibility to women’s writing in a simple and engaging way.”
The website uses technology capable of recognizing characters and words on book covers. “When a person visits the website and scans the title of a literary classic written by a male author with their phone, a book written by a woman, with a similar theme, or even just a recommendation for another female author will appear,” explained DZ Estudio Partner and Creative Director José Pedro Paz.
José Pedro highlighted that the project is not limited to the public library’s physical space. “Anyone can participate, whether they’re in another library, a bookstore, or at home. Furthermore, as long as the work is included in the database, the technology we developed for the project works with both physical and digital formats.”
More than 300 recommendations for female authors have already been added to the database by cross-referencing works from the Public Library’s collection.
The Read a Woman project is part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the building that houses the Public Library, and it’s the first of a series of activities planned to celebrate the occasion. The campaign also includes outdoor displays, press kits sent to journalists and influencers, an explanatory film, and a manifesto film.
Discover more about the project by following @leiaumaautora on Instagram.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Rio Grande do Sul Public Library
PUBLIC LIBRARY’S DIRECTOR: Morgana Marcon
AGENCY: DZ Estúdio
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: José Pedro Paz
ART DIRECTOR: Vitor Palma, Natalia Bernardes and Luana Baiocco
COPYWRITER: Cleiber Selfstrom Jr. and Maria Hagel
STRATEGY: Gustavo Mini and Giulia Andreazza
TECH: Jaqueline Zanini, Geancarlo Canova and Gabriel Oribes
HEAD OF ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT AND NEW BUSINESS: Fernanda Knijnik
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Caroline Evangelista
MEDIA: Daiana Bellaver
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT: Felipe Ferrari and Aline Bicca
GRAPHIC PRODUCTION: Jocelin Fritsch
ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION: Fernanda Knijnik and Jocelin Fritsch
VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANY: Allas Filmes
Executive Production: Victor of David and Guilherme Motta
Account Services: Vitória Alba
Director: Vitória Centeleghe
Assistant Director: Guilherme Decker Medeiros
Production Director: Luis Artur Duncke and Luiza Zimmer
Director of Photography: William Wendler
1st Camera Assistant: Vinicius Gomes
Light and Equipment: Locall
Project Manager: Thayna Oliveira
Editing: Vitória Centeleghe
Color Grading: Vitória Centeleghe
Motion: Sharline Girardi
AUDIO PRODUCTION COMPANY: Vox Haus
Services Director: Matheus Gugelmim
Production Director: Daniel Dalla Corte
Musical Production: Icarus Guedes
Sound Design: Cassio Machado
Narrator (manifesto): Mara Loureiro
PROJECT PARTNERS: Allas, Vox Haus, Dobra, Synergy, Eletromidia, Lucia Porto, Nave
Comunica, Quasesempauta, Must Be, L&PM, Gráfica Centhury.
CURATORSHIP AND DZ PRESS OFFICE: Karina Chaves
