Life is punctuated with text. Words wake us in the morning and follow us to sleep. It guides us through everything from casual conversation and difficult situations, from finding our destination to getting lost in a fantasy. Unsurprisingly, text has become more than just a means of communication. It is also a philosophical concept, a medium for artistic exploration, a material that can be used to express both the said and the unsaid.
“words beyond words” originated as a note of devotion to the tools that drive our world: text and communication. It quickly turned into something much more surprising and expansive as soon as the idea left the page and entered the mind of the artist.
The artists featured in “words beyond words” use language to create thought-provoking pieces that challenge traditional forms of expression. As you delve into their words and symbols, you become distinctly aware of all of the things language can accomplish, both directly and indirectly, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Prepare to embark on a journey through the subversive nature of language and discover new perspectives with us.
“I started exploring this vast area of asemic language, which is essentially things that you can kind of tell they look like language, but [its meaning] is not exactly available.”
-michelangelo (encapsuled) on “Evolution v0”
“What I wanted to explore is how language is a tool of social and political domination, and how the dominant class is deciding what is the correct language and what is not the correct language. So at the beginning of this piece, I wanted to remind the reader [of this tension], before jumping to the poem in itself.”
-Pierre Gervois on “Law Abiding”
“I was thinking, what if you took a ‘shot from the hip’ shot from on the street, and what you could see was that split second of all the thoughts going through somebody’s head, but you can’t read them, they might be in all different languages. And so, you get this kind of superimposed, tangled graffiti on top of your image, of all of the thoughts and the feelings of the people.”
– Carolina de Bartolo on “Neural Graffiti”
“I initially wanted to approach sculpture as an interactive medium and create immersive works. And when I’m working with a sculpture as a multimedia [piece], it makes me think about human body experiences fist of all, and in digital spaces, it eventually drew me to Web3 ways of making.”
– Touchsoundart on “Skin of the Earth”
“This juxtaposition of words and punctuation was used mainly to de-materialize, to de-objectify, the referred object, and then to amplify the signified [meaning] of the text.”
– Andrea Paoli on “Storia in cinque punti (, . ; ? !) – Poesia con segni d’interpunzione in grammatica, significato e forma”
“LOVE IS AN INTERGALACTIC CONCEPT.
This is just an additional touch to the characterization of my extraterrestrial characters, as if they have a writing system similar to that of Earth. And they are familiar with the concept of Love.”
– NEUROPILA on “THE WORD LOVE IN EXTRATERRESTRIAL LETTERS”
“I think about the progression of the story, which can be never-ending, honestly, like the psychology of yourself and how you change. And a lot of these things for me were rejection or finding self or coming through the focus, you know, split personalities, and all of these things. The writing on the wall is a paradoxical thought: it’s something where we all know what it means, [even if it’s not something you’re actually reading.]”
– 4everKurious on “The Writing is on The Wall”
In conclusion, “words beyond words” invites us to think deeply about the power and influence of language in our lives. Through these diverse works, we are reminded that words can be more than just a means of communication – they can compose non-verbal reflection of our innermost thoughts, emotions, and ideas. As we explore the power of text, let us challenge ourselves to see language in a new light and embrace its subversive nature. Let us continue to seek out unconventional forms of expression and allow ourselves to be moved by the endless possibilities of text.
Listen to the full conversation with the artists here.
