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With our basic toolbox of letters, characters, words and/or symbols, the permutations of language are endless. What we do with these elements, these units of sound and meaning, is gloriously unpredictable. The message we create might be literal or figurative, clear and direct or hazy and surreal. Through combining, separating, layering, dismantling -and even mixing languages together- we can uniquely express every facet of existence.
List of artists in this category:
Fatima Hussain
Amara Jenkins
Amrita Naraine
Yunyi Ye
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from another world
Fatima Hussain
Acrylic
‘Where are you really from?’ is a question that plagues people who did not grow up where they are originally from. When it comes to applying for visas or even just starting conversations, I always feel constrained to fit into a fixed box when in reality I don’t wish to be defined by those boxes. This piece explores the visa application process in a new form and language, with a cipher which I would like to invite you to take some time and effort to decode what’s written.
Fatima Hussain is studying BA Design for Art Direction at LCC. She is Pakistani but grew up in the UAE, leading to her exploration of fixed identities.
Instagram: @huann.i7
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1. 讠vol.1
2. Tower of Nowhere
Yunyi Ye
1.
Steel, cyanotype on wood, hydrogen peroxide (25 x 50 x 80 cm)
讠 is a radical in Simplified Chinese representing language, also the simplified form of 言 (speech). Inspired by oracle bone inscription, where the bottom part of the radical used to be the pictogram for tongue, the installation is overall in the shape of 讠. The evolution of the radical for over a thousand years is shown on cyanotype, where I’ve incorporated my prediction for its future distortion. The frozen cleaning product on top, hydrogen peroxide, symbolises the over-sensitive social media moderation systems. While melting, it bleaches the cyanotype and oxidizes the steel.
Excessive cleaning is a detriment.
Yunyi Ye is studying MA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. Her practice centres on the dynamic relationship between individuals and their surroundings, with a particular emphasis on symbols.
2.
Thermal paper, metal, wood, cotton (191cm)
Tower of Nowhere. The evolution of Simplified Chinese internet slang is incessant under the scrutiny of social media algorithms, with one method of encoding being the fusion of multiple languages, by crafting faux Chinese characters from a mix of other languages’ alphabets. “Name that can be named isn’t eternal name.” I’ve printed this famous quote from the Tao Te Ching onto thermal paper, then exposed it to steam to demonstrate external influences. This tower made by 140-metre-long thermal paper represents a closed loop of communication, continually building upon itself, seeking avenues for convergence and integration. I wonder where it leads to, what remains in the wake of such erasure and resistance, and would it bring us freedom.
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1. Glyphs in Granules
2. Order Synthesis
Amara Jenkins
1.
Brown sugar and PLA, 1.25m
“Glyphs in Granules” is a conceptual brown sugar sculpture that stands 1.2 meters tall, morphing from an ancient sugar loaf base to contemporary sugar cubes topped with the word ‘sugar’ in both English and Arabic script—visible from different angles. This dual linguistic form represents the history of sugar and its global trade, while the brown sugar medium speaks to the commodity’s raw origins, hinting at the Westernization process that both sugar and languages undergo. The sculpture invites viewers to ponder the intertwined journey of cultural goods and linguistic exchanges, reflecting on the nuanced transformation of identities and commodities as they move from East to West.
Amara Jenkins is in Year 3 of BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. Her practice is research-led, exploring the rich interplay between linguistics and visual art, particularly focusing on the evolution and intersection of English and Arabic scripts.
Showcase: https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/575585/cover
2.
Screen print and handmade frame, 64 x 120cm
Jenkins’ practice explores the visual and linguistic connections between English and Arabic scripts, aiming to create a new perspective on how Arabic is perceived through Western media. “Order Synthesis” questions the ordering systems of both alphabets, focusing on letters that have direct correlations in each language. By transforming and rotating these letters into their corresponding forms, it uncovers links and connections between them, ultimately proposing a midpoint alphabetical order. This approach helps familiarise English speakers and readers with the Arabic script.
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The 27th. Letter of the Alphabet
Amrita Naraine
Poetry anthology
As the writer’s debut literary work, this anthology embraces her creative aptitude in narrative, descriptive and abstract elements of poetry. Her reverence for knowledge in history, fantasy and observing reality illustrates exploratory dimensions of her work, reflecting her passion for literature.
Amrita Naraine is a Guyanese writer and poet, currently studying MSc Data Science and AI for the Creative Industries at CCI. She is a Chevening Scholar and Guyana Prize nominee.
N.B. The PDFs show (1) the cover; (2) five poems from the anthology; and (3) the writer’s commentary on these poems. The cover design is by poster artist Jack Fanzel as part of his collection, ‘Fantasy Collection Art’. The sketches which accompany the commentary are public domain images by other artists. All are available under CC usage.
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