The Art of Writing: An Online Conversation
Dear friends of the Endangered Alphabets, and of the written word:
If my current Kickstarter campaign is successful, I plan to write a book about a fascinating and paradoxical phenomenon taking place all over the world.
Just when we in the West are abandoning the art of handwriting or delegating writing altogether to AI, a number of minority cultures around the world are doing exactly the opposite–reconnecting with their pasts and their identities by teaching calligraphy in their traditional scripts. In Nepal, in the Philippines, in Bali, in China, in Mongolia, people are relearning the art of writing by hand. Do they know something important we don’t? And what is the future of the written word?
There’s a ton to discuss here, and as usual I assume I’m surrounded by people who know more than I do. With that in mind, I’m organizing an online discussion of the subject at noon EST on Sunday, October 27th, for 90 minutes. I have a series of questions in mind, and I suppose I’ll have to limit discussion of each, and then I’ll throw the conversation open for free-for-all.
In particular I’m inviting calligraphers to join in, because calligraphers think about writing as something other than a means to an end (or, as linguists like to say, just a way to represent speech). Calligraphy gives active and serious consideration to aspects of writing most of us never consider at all, in fact. The texture of writing, the shape of writing, the rhythm of writing, the depth and thickness of writing, the traditions and aesthetics of writing, and, perhaps most interesting of all, the effect of the act of writing upon the writer, body and spirit.
The relationship between letter and white space. The role of color. The relationship between shapes of letterforms and shapes in the natural world, or the geometrical world. Degree of slope. Stroke weight. Whether the beauty of a curve is more or less important than the conventional shape of a letter. And the drama of writing, the energy expressed in the stroke. Miyamoto Musashi, a 17th century samurai/philosopher/calligrapher, wrote “The brush is the sword of the mind.”
It may be a bit unusual, but I want to let you know ahead of time what questions I’d like to throw out. I have two reasons for this.
One, I want folks to have a sense of focus and an opportunity to sort through their ideas ahead of time. This is especially important as they/you may be putting thoughts into words for the first time. It’s not an area of generally-accepted wisdom. I don’t believe I’ve heard of a single degree program in calligraphy, even though it is an ancient and global art practice. We have all kinds of programs in creative writing, but that discipline takes writing for granted and makes creative use of it semantically. Even art schools, from what I gather, rarely offer more than a single course in calligraphy. If I’m wrong, please let me know!
Two, I want to use this blog as an opportunity for people to contribute if they can’t make the live discussion. Please use the Comments section below to address these questions, tell stories, advance theories, post links, and propose other avenues for consideration.
- How is calligraphy, and in fact all writing, different in a culture that regards the written word as sacred, and writing itself of divine origin? What is written, and how? What is not written? Who is even allowed to write?
- Some calligraphers are re-examining, or interrogating, writing by deliberately breaking some of its conventions. Are these “just” experiments, or do they suggest an entirely new way of thinking about, and teaching, writing?
- The phrase “art of writing” implies, at least in Western eyes, that art and writing are two different things. But in many cultural traditions the calligrapher is both a writer and an artist. In the Islamic tradition we have writing whose overall shape constitutes an artistic image. In the Christian tradition you have these glorious elaborations on individual letters. In the Javanese manuscript tradition we see small paintings that are neither illustrations or elaborations but are actually canto markers that indicate the tempo in which the next section of the poem is to be sung or chanted. I have three questions about the writing/art hybrid or crossover. One, I’d love to hear about some examples. Two, I’d like to know why some cultures embrace that hybrid form and others don’t. And three, why did it die out in some traditions? Modern Christian texts are far less artistic, more plaintext and more sober, almost more secular. Why?
- Let’s talk about your emotional relationship to your own handwriting. Is your handwriting recognizably yours? If so, what makes it characteristic or unique? Do you take pleasure or pride in this specialness, or are you ashamed of your handwriting? Or other people’s? Would you recognize your father’s handwriting, for example, or your grandmother’s? If so, what makes them recognizable?
Just in case you missed my invitation higher up this post, please feel free to respond in the Comments section. I’m especially interested in links to actual examples of calligraphy and handwriting, and your observations on them.
Okay. You are now as prepped as you can be.
Note: This zoom will be recorded, but the video will not be made public. It’s strictly so all your interesting ideas and stories don’t get lost. The video will be transcribed, and if you would like a copy of the transcription, sign up for the Endangered Alphabets mailing list on this website and I’ll email it to you.
This also means that we all have two weeks to think about the discussion and invite people we think will be interested to Part 2 of the conversation, which will take place via Zoom at noon EST on Sunday, October 27th. The Zoom link is HERE.
Finally, taking part in this conversation is free, but there is a sort of price of admission. It is my hope and expectation that everyone who takes part will either make a contribution to my Kickstarter campaign and/or will make a contribution to the discussion and/or will send one or two high-resolution photos of your favorite calligraphy, which can in fact be your own. But the photos must be accompanied by the name and contact information of both the photographer and the calligrapher.
Questions?
Resources
Here are some Instagram accounts you may find interesting. Please suggest others!
Beachscriber (Andrew van der Merwe)
