Page 54 - Studio International - February 1971

If there was a reasonable source for the (context for sound) and any combination of the Qualifying these statements I will say that there
alphabetical symbols used in English it was three. These I call Sheets of Silence. The layout is an acceptance of different values in different
certainly lost a long time ago. The forms A, B, is based on a rectangular grid, accuracy being media but there always remains a rationale of
C, etc., have abdicated their responsibilities : essential; any error would cause a focus of title/work, reciprocal and continuous. q
the only relationships detectable are three interest and disturb the silence. Only the
straights, one straight and two curves, one speaker/writer is allowed to break the silence There is an inherent dilemma in all the articles
curve, etc. All other relationships have now with the sound/mouths. If these silence sheets in this magazine.
become unquestionable—unquestionable in were mass-produced then the laborious business The articles are presented on a different
that there is no answer; learning English has of description, i.e. what one is portraying rather scale, i.e.: The text is of necessity restricted and
become an act of faith : the alphabet refers to than what one is saying, would be alleviated loses the clarifying elaboration of a book. The
nothing but itself. from the individual. photographs are in all cases smaller than that
It is common knowledge that there are letter A thorough transcription of English grammar which is being photographed.
symbols which become redundant in phonetic using mouth alphabets was carried out. The articles are presented in a different form,
context—C, J, Q, W, X, Y. And yet they are Numerals and Mathematical Grammar, Music i.e.: Words are used to convey things other than
retained. Why ? I suggest there is a dilemma. Is and Musical Grammar underwent similar words. Photography becomes a medium of
English a written or spoken language ? It is treatment. transformation : things are available only as
because this question has not been attended to The previous visual alphabet referred to a photographs—not as things. There is an explicit
that the redundant letter symbols remain. visual origin outside itself. At this juncture an order of attention dictated by the way we read
Spoken they have equivalents, written they have alternative model occurred to me—that of an — left to right, top to bottom, beginning to end.
not. With some chauvinism I cite Welsh as a inter-original alphabet based on the circle. This gives the text priority over the photographs
language of decision—its priority is speech. What was stated was : if one accepts the circle in and the audience prior information about the
But these are merely comparative the forms ring for Hh (natural breath sound) photograph of the art object. The audience is
improvements : both languages collapse at the and disc for Uh (voiced equivalent)—then all placed in a very special role, exclusive either to
alphabet stage. There can be no dodging the other sounds are distortions of these two shapes. the artist or to those in possession of his
issue that the present systems of symbols are The same twenty-five sounds were used as a intentions, which is limited to his friends on the
unintelligible and should be replaced, not basis and speculation on their shapes took place. one hand and magazine readers on the other.
improved. Types of distortion included lateral, vertical It is the latter contention which is the critical
With this premise in mind I decided to and circumferential. Vertical distortion was one. The spectator looks at actual art objects
construct a language in which writing was based doubly successful in that it alluded to mouth back to front, i.e.: He sees the end product and
on speaking. English became the vehicle for articulation whilst at the same time retaining its makes assumptions about the preceding stages.
analysis, it being the only language in which I inter-origin. Whether these assumptions are coincidental
am fluent. Conversation involves two acts — Again writing paper was re-designed: in this with those of the artist is a superfluous issue
listening and looking. From the former I case circles in a variety of combinations replaced here. What is to the point is that the sequence of
derived twenty-five mouth sounds and from the horizontal lines. These I called Sheets of looking at actual art objects is the reverse of that
latter seventeen mouth shapes; all sounds could Breathing. For reasons of accuracy and facility encountered in this magazine.
be constructed from these. Focusing on the the new writing paper is machine-produced, It is to resume the actual act of attention that
articulation of these sounds by the mouth, the the sounds which are drawn being the circles. this article is so presented. q
question of how they could be written was also After this time my familiarity with the
solved. language had reached a point where I could give
Twenty-five mouth articulations were more attention to its application. My response
carefully observed and drawn. Front view was was to 'translate' some poetry I had written—
chosen because it showed the articulation most not because of any evaluation of specific poems
clearly. No attempt was made to distort what but because in general poetry, unlike prose, can
was seen for reasons of information about what be non-sequential in concept, a spontaneous
actually caused the sound. Rather the apparent image; this is congruent with painting which
cause was noted. It was with precision that I can also say everything at the same time.
called this new language Visible Speech. The area in which the poems are visualized is
The original drawings were analysed to dark (I chose black paper) since light is not
extract the relevant characteristics basic to the necessary to see sound. Of course light exists
formation of each sound and a wide variety outside the paintings but it is not an integral
of simplified mouth shapes were visualized. factor, i.e. there is no modelling or spatializing
About forty mouth alphabets were speculated using light and shade. Most painting is addition
but the principle is infinitely extensible. There —paint on or in canvas; since sound is invisible
can be no one answer to the visualization of I decided to subtract the sound shapes from the
sound. Success must inevitably and sensibly paper, that is to say I cut away darkness. Then
depend upon the perception and acceptance of what one sees is what is not there. A recurring
each observer/listener. Remember, when in device in these works was parallel lines which
doubt use your own mouth as reference. represent for me a geometry of rhyme; the
Of the alphabets drawn some were elaborate same can be said for similar triangles.
and suited to typography and printing, others Art can exist without words, written or Gareth Jones
were more economic of style and emphasized spoken, but it has not done so up until now and
speed of execution. Unfortunately as one gains I see no reason why this situation should change Linguistics:
speed one loses definition. To rectify this, new in the future. At present all art has titles—the
writing paper was envisaged. The ruled lines in reasons for these are obscure in that they are
present use were replaced by the repetition of seldom discussed. What I have done is to make an eye-witness
(I) closed mouth (symbol of silence), (2) ear a direct and essential relationship between title
(symbol of listening), (3) face without mouth and work inasmuch as the title is the work. account

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