Translating Art

Using creative and social resources, enlarging audiences, communicating for social engagement

Participants in this program will learn the following:
– experimenting with innovative communication tools, such as creating new alphabets or languages, to effectively convey messages.
– playful and engaging methods for creative expression, which will foster curiosity and inspiration.
– to develop flexibility in their approach to problem-solving and creative processes, by adapting to different cultural and linguistic contexts.
– to involve communities in the creative process and explore diverse languages and alphabets to gain insights into how to reinvent their work practices and foster innovation through collaboration.

Understanding the participants’ artistic and visual skills and providing example images if participants lack competence in artistic composition or visual communication.

It can be helpful to map out the different languages spoken in your area and choose alphabets that participants are familiar with. This approach can help people feel more connected to their work and more willing to share their knowledge. By creating a sense of familiarity, you can encourage greater collaboration and engagement among participants.

• Step 1: Opening Reflection – Start the session by asking the participants the following question: “How many alphabets do you know?” Encourage the participants to analyze the graphic and symbolic characteristics of each alphabet and reflect on how writings always originate from an image and then evolve over time into more abstract symbols. Encourage participants to use storytelling, especially if there are participants from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Step 2: Finding Shapes:
  – Distribute squared sheets with a size of your palm and some materials for inspiration such as objects or images cut from magazines among the participants.
  – Ask participants to find shapes in the pictures or by walking around the room.
  – Participants should trace the shapes with a black marker on the squared sheets. Encourage them to capture the essence of the forms and use stylized lines.
  – At the end of this step, everyone will have a catalog of symbols. Lay them all out on the table and invite participants to observe them collectively.
• Step 3: Composing a New Imaginary Alphabet – Ask participants to use the “catalog of symbols” to create a new imaginary alphabet by unifying the symbols to appear as one language. Encourage the participants to observe the different shapes and modify them to achieve a formal coherence, which is fundamental for creating any collection of products or art.
• Step 4: Systematizing the Letters – Invite participants to transcribe the letters onto a single sheet using a tool of their choice: pen, marker, brush, etc.
• Step 5: Writing in the New Alphabet – Participants can be invited to write something in the new alphabet, such as a message, a letter, or a slogan, and decorate the sheet with colors.
• Step 6: Sharing Alphabets with the Group – Each person presents their alphabet, describing its characteristics and influences. If time permits, a simulation game can be activated in pairs, pretending to be archaeologists who have found an ancient artifact and telling others about the discovery, imagining its history and ancient use of this language.

Books on writing and calligraphy, Rodari’s ‘La grammatica della fantasia’ (The Grammar of Fantasy), Gallery of images of various alphabets from the world