Zeichen bedeuten (Symbols mean)

This was the title Carl Faulmann (*1835) gave to his decades-long research into the world’s scripts, and it is also the theme under which we will be exploring signs and scripts in two- and three-dimensional space this semester (Winter 2020).

The invention of writing is regarded as one of civilisation’s most significant achievements. It enables the reliable transmission and preservation of knowledge and cultural traditions across generations. This naturally depends on the durability of the material and social circumstances. All known early advanced civilisations (Sumerian, Egyptian, Indus Valley, Middle Kingdom, Maya, Olmec) are associated with the use of writing.

The first marks we make as toddlers with pen and paint on paper do not constitute a legible, reproducible system. This only applies to the cursive script we learn as schoolchildren through imitation. These letters, sentences and connections—placed on paper in the correct order from left to right with varying spacing along guide lines using a writing implement—enable the fixation, reproduction and preservation of transmissible content.

Typefaces, as tools, are subject to very specific functional requirements, such as the legibility of texts through the precise rendering of words. The position of individual graphic elements within the typeface system determines their distinctiveness. Each of them is a configuration of graphic features. Central features do not tolerate modification, whilst peripheral graphic features that do not appear distinctive can be varied for ornamental purposes. This suggests that form serves content – with a few exceptions, which we will curiously discover, examine and test for feasibility in the course of the exercise. We would like to explore the boundaries of type, image, sign and sculpture with you.

As aspiring architects, it is essential to engage not only with form and content but also with the various qualities of space – which manifests itself not only in our engagement with and between objects. Part of the exercise involves doing this using the materials and scales of your choice, so that by comparing these studies, you can make relevant decisions regarding the respective tasks.

Writing is repetition: repetition of the same forms over and over, and repetition of one form through another. We will therefore begin with a homework assignment based on simple rules, in which you will write repetitively yourselves. In doing so, we will examine both the aesthetic and functional aspects of writing and signs.