Rendered Illegible: Ornament, Letterpress and Imaginary Alphabets

Abstract

The Master of Fine Arts thesis project consists of an artistic component Rendered Illegible displayed as part of Kuvan Kevät between 4th of May and 2nd of June 2024 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, and a written component titled Rendered Illegible: Ornament, Letterpress and Imaginary Alphabets. The written thesis aims to give an insight into the exhibited work: describing the research and studio process, and reflecting on the final work and its exhibited form.

The written MFA thesis begins with a contextualisation of my practice: the positioning between graphic design and fine art printmaking, with ‘print’ being an overarching theme linking together multiple components: letterpress, typography and an interest in publications. The thesis examines several sources which were influential in my research process: the book Nineteenth Century Ornamented Typefaces by Nicolete Gray, the art piece Book from the Sky by Xu Bing and the Voynich Manuscript (author unknown, ca. 1401- 1599).

The thesis gives an in-depth account of the creative process, resulting in the work displayed during Kuvan Kevät. The project begins with research into letterpress, 19th century decorative type in Britain, and imaginary languages, followed by the creation of 26 imaginary characters forming a fictional alphabet. The thesis documents a studio-based practice and its stages: drawing, exploration of woodblock printing, creation of sculptural objects and the decisions behind the installation of the work. The artistic component consists of a collage of work displayed as a 3.2 x 6 metre installation including prints, drawings, sculptures and woodblock matrices. Rendered Illegible touches upon subjects of visuality, semantics, cognition and perception and the value of aesthetic qualities of language in and of itself. It encourages us to think about the visual forms which surround us on an everyday basis.