Mākslinieciski eksperimenti ar imaginārām rakstībām

Abstract

The main undertaking of this article is to study imaginary writing in the field of visual arts, classify and introduce new terminology, and use the tools of imaginary writing to work with art projects relevant to the new media field. It also aims to inform the public about the existence of artists and their works in the field of imaginary writing and the author’s work and findings in the new media field. The article proposes to introduce new terms in Latvian, kodējummālsla (codification art) and imaginārā rakstība (imaginary writing) on the basis of Albani and Buonarroti’s Classification of Artificial Languages (1994). The text uses these terms to describe new applications of imaginary writing in art. Although linguistic signs are common in contemporary art, authors rarely invent their writing systems. Thus, it emerges as a new field or art genre, and no previous studies or terminology have been devoted to this field. To define the practice, the article’s author proposes a new term, kodējummāksla ‘codification art’. Its relevance and applicability were studied using expert interviews and viewer surveys. The expert interviews gave positive results, and the necessity for a new term was confirmed in most of the cases. The experts have different opinions regarding the question of how many and what practices should be included in the field defined by kodējummāksla. The surveys consisted of questionnaires that teachers from Latvian art schools filled out after attending a lecture on the research subject. The surveys also reflect positive results. Most of the respondents do recognize a need for a new term. The theoretical part of the research consists of a contextual review of literature on imaginary languages and writing and Polish linguist Ida Stria’s work “Inventing languages, inventing worlds. Towards a linguistic worldview for artificial languages” (2016) in particular. Stria focuses on artificial languages and their origins; she also suggests a system for classifying imaginary languages so necessary to the field. The article’s author has reached certain conclusions regarding imaginary languages as a practising artist working with various codes and techniques and developing imaginary alphabets over 20 years. The author has also developed typefaces that cannot be compared to any of the existing designs in use. There is a reference to works created by artists who have created their unique alphabets, including Allyson Gray (b. 1953) and Ryan Gander (b. 1976).