Shakespeare and hip-hop may seem contradictory at first glance. But parallels are found between these two elements

of culture. In terms of artistic expression, the use of wordplay, lyricism and rhythm are akin. Love, jealousy, violence and betrayal are common subject matters in both.

‘To Live And Die In Venice’ is a play that experiments with similarities and differences between hip-hop and Shakespeare by making these two worlds collide with the use of typography and imagery. The story is an interpretation of the Shakespearean classic ‘Othello’ set in hip-hop’s golden age —the 1990s.

The atmosphere of a play is present with serif typefaces, tabulations and navigation elements commonly found in scripts. Hip-hop is introduced with battle rap lyrics when characters face arguments. As the story heats up, highlights, violated text blocks and images reflect the offensive and blitz of battle rap environment.