RAYS OF ESSENCE:
ARABIC’S ALTERNATIVE REALITY
#ELECTRONIC-ART
#LANGUAGE-AS-MACHINE
2023
Whether spoken or in ink, Arabic letterforms embody intrinsic meanings. Each letter, as part of a word, manifests nuance based on its contextual placement and individual spirit, creating a binding thread of connotations in every single unique word.
Experience these inherent characteristics, as you twist the knobs, and interact with the projected Arabic forms as individual beings. Discover what forms they might morph into and inhabit as they travel into the five sheer planes of language. From a letter to a complete narrative, the work aims to root the tools we use to shape our language, our heritage, and our identity, as we move into a future that we build, centered with our voices.
One focused laser beam draws the oscillating letterform over and over again. It moves at the speed of light, propelling us to imagine an alternative reality for Arabic. In this reality, Arabic letterforms are explored through computational tools and mathematical variables. Here, the letters drawn with light are unrestrained by the strokes and movements of a calligraphic pen. This is where new forms emerge.
A laser beam. Layers of sheers. A letterform.
You. Medium. Language.
Future. Space. Heritage.
By Hind Al Saad and Sara Khalid,
with sound design by Joshua Rodenberg,
and type design by Fatima Abbas
Experience these inherent characteristics, as you twist the knobs, and interact with the projected Arabic forms as individual beings. Discover what forms they might morph into and inhabit as they travel into the five sheer planes of language. From a letter to a complete narrative, the work aims to root the tools we use to shape our language, our heritage, and our identity, as we move into a future that we build, centered with our voices.
One focused laser beam draws the oscillating letterform over and over again. It moves at the speed of light, propelling us to imagine an alternative reality for Arabic. In this reality, Arabic letterforms are explored through computational tools and mathematical variables. Here, the letters drawn with light are unrestrained by the strokes and movements of a calligraphic pen. This is where new forms emerge.
A laser beam. Layers of sheers. A letterform.
You. Medium. Language.
Future. Space. Heritage.
By Hind Al Saad and Sara Khalid,
with sound design by Joshua Rodenberg,
and type design by Fatima Abbas