Primary Research

For this project I generated some ideas by looking at different types of text that I encounter on a daily basis. The first kind of text I came across was this sign on Oxford Street. When looking at it I think the graphic designer / typographer did a good job because through the text they emphasised the word 'New Railway' which brought more attention to people on the street. I think this was an effective way of adding the text to the poster because it could be seen from very far too, so the size in this case is very important because the message may be important or relevant to lots of people walking by who may happen to be commuters.

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Graffiti

I am very interested in graffitis and how artists decide to paint walls and 'claim' public spaces by using this typography. 

I came across this graffiti which captured my attention because usually the graffitis that I see are just names, but the world 'Lover' made me think of the reasons behind why someone would decide to place such word in a public space: perhaps the artist was writing a love letter to the public - or they just wanted to express their love for someone. When I first saw this it reminded me of the work of Tracey Emin and her LED poems that she hung at her exhibitions. It could be argued that, by not having a personal or formal space to make their own work, graffiti artists choose to make art everywhere else. Furthermore, I thought that the text was very intimate and it made me think of platonic love and expressing one's own vulnerabilities to the public.

 

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Jenny Holzer

 

Jenny Holzer is an American artist and the main focus of her work is to "the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces". As I wanted to research artists that did not just create letterforms but that took the medium of typography and writing to a different direction I decided to include her work in my research as I think it could help me gather ideas on how to develop my alphabet into a work of art. 

I really enjoy looking at Jenny Holzer's work because I find the text very fascinating. It almost reminds me of Charles Bukowski's work: it is very raw and I think very intimate which is why I think it works so well. Just like in the text above, It almost seems like a constant stream of consciousness where the artist lets allows any thoughts she has in her head to be recorded. The text also seems to appear in unusual places where one would not find it: billboards, LED signs, huge projections on buildings and many more unconventional places which is, in my opinion, one of the reasons why it is eye-catching. In the case above, the paragraph is written and can be consumed almost as an advert for a campaign or a product. The very bold font makes me think that it could be a sign for a propaganda or a campaign created by a group of people. I think the font also reflects effectively what it's written: as all the text is in caps, it feels like the person who wrote it felt very strong emotions when they did. What is also written is very raw and honest and seems to come from a place of anger mixed with fear of the future. 

I would like to try and create a stream of consciousness in my work too and perhaps explore how choosing different fonts can interpret the text in different ways. Perhaps experimenting with this could help me understand which fonts to use when trying to convey a certain idea or message in my writing which would be very useful to know, especially when working with graphic design.

In her other works, Holzer often uses the public space to project giant text on buildings all around the world. The audience often find themselves in the public space looking at a piece of artwork without necessarily wanting to be there. The work exists in the public and it is there to be consumed by anyone who walks or passes by.

I think her work is not just very graphic and eye catching but it also serves as a starting point to start a conversation about a specific topic - whether it be injustice, sexism or political debates. She is considered to be "one of the first artists to use information technology as a platform for political protest" which I think is something incredibly fascinating, especially at a time where nowadays a lot of activism happens on social media and technology plays a big role when change happens. 

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 'Blue tilt', 2004

Bibliography: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jenny-holzer-1307

Artist Merch

The text that I like the most is the text from Rina Sawayama's merch. Rina is a Japanese musician and artist whose work is mainly based around social media and how it deeply affects our lives. This text is my favourite because I think it reflects her work effectively as the word 'Alterlife' may perhaps mean the different life we lead on the internet but also the font seems very digital and somewhat pixelated. When buying this shirt I thought that it was interesting that it did not look like a basic artist's merch but that it could look like any shirt with graphic text on it. 

Another reason why this is one of my favourite texts is because it includes the word in both English and Japanese which is why it's effective because it represents the artist's identity the is portrayed through text. 

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Secondary Research: Bianca Chang

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Bianca Chang is an Australian-based sculptor and paper artist. I was fascinated by her work because it takes a very long time and it is very precise: she cuts each piece of paper to create these amazing letters that almost look like architectural sculptures. As her work is very geometric and minimal, after looking at very decorative types of letterform I found it refreshing to see someone who is able to create such amazing kind of work by only using paper and a scalpel. The simplicity of her work is what makes it so unique in my opinion. 

Another element that is very important in her work in my opinion is the photography: by using contrasting shadows the artist adds depth to the sculptures. The shadows in her work are very important because, if they were not shown, the viewer would not be able to see what is happening underneath the surface. The element of photography when taking pictures of sculptures is something that I never really paid much attention to but now I can see its importance. 

 

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Asel Tambay - 'Hush'

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Asel Tambay's graphic design practice involves the exploration of the possibilities of language, both contextually and visually. She is interested in seeing how words can become objects, performers and places in her work. What I found interesting when looking at her work is that she integrates language with a different art medium and her work therefore seems to go beyond just graphic design itself: it is much more experimental and less limiting that just creating a new type of letterform. 

It makes me think about different ways I could experiment with letterform and perhaps create a sculpture or something more interactive where the viewer can feel more drawn to. In her work 'Hush', Asel Tambay programmed neon lights to respond to the rhythms and intonations of E. E. cummings’ HUSH. I am wondering why she specifically chose this poem and what was the selection process of choosing it. Perhaps she might have been interested in the title - Hush - and the way the mouth moves when saying it. I find it a very delicate word and the way she translated the poem into light is very interesting because the viewer is only able to experience the poem through the light, therefore the poem is stripped down "to its intonations, breaks and rhythms.”

I think creating work that is more directed towards fine art would be much more interesting and explorative for me but I am not sure what I would like to create. I am very interested by sound which is why I was drawn to this particular piece of work she created; I wonder if I could perhaps experiment with the different intonations of words and letters when speaking two different languages or creating something that is inspired by my Italian upbringing. Once I will be able to be confident enough to explore typography I would like to try experiment with the different ways I could incorporate different mediums to letterform.

Bibliography: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/asel-tambay-graphic-design-projects-230818

Sonya Dyakova

S18c52his0puv8S1hopg9v8ukz2f-o.jpgImage from 'Sculpture Today', an illustrated overview of contemporary sculpture published by Phaidon Press

 

Sonya Dyakova is a graphic designer and illustrator. The main work of art that grabbed by attention was this publication she made creating an alphabet by only using paper and a cutter. I was drawn by it after the first day of our personal project, where our first task was to try and create letters by only folding or cutting paper.

I find it interesting that the letters that she created above can be seen as sculptures; I think what interests me is exploring the medium beyond what most people really think it is and always trying to work with another type of medium to create something never done before. The sculptures look very man-made and are precisely cut; the simplicity of the letters is effective and it's oxymoronic in the way that it captures my attention because it is something that I don't see often.

 

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By looking at Sonya Dyakova's work I think I will try next time to work more with sculpture and with creating a 3D alphabet as I think it would be a great way of exploring letterforms. 

 

Bibliography: https://www.shocase.com/go/project/S4fgojg088bylS16puzfrzdr9xo?loginMode=email&loginView=login