Exploring and Expanding
Featured Scripting the Unscripted: Text-art Encounter with the Matriarchal Mosuo Culture
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lulu Ao
This paper centres on the Mosuo culture, a unique matrilineal society in southwestern China, which has no written language. While much of the academic and popular focus has been on its matriarchal aspects, such as its distinctive matrimonial practices, this study underscores the often-overlooked significance of the Mosuo's rich oral tradition. The central challenge tackled in this research is representing the Mosuo—a culture where linguistic nuances remain primarily unexplored—through text art, a medium predominantly linked to written expressions. Venturing into this less-charted terrain, the research introduces novel academic pathways in text art. Simultaneously, it offers a balanced critique of dominant Western perspectives, challenging their sometimes superficial portrayals of the Mosuo culture. Grounded in participant observation, in-depth interviews, and studio practices, the study delves deeply into the Mosuo's linguistic dynamics, juxtaposed with its more widely recognized cultural attributes. Central to the discussion is the author's text artwork, Mosuo Language (2022). This piece innovatively translates the Mosuo's intricate oral patterns into captivating visual representations using the International Phonetic Alphabet. This approach instigates renewed discussions in contemporary text art and highlights its potential to encapsulate cultures with understudied linguistic facets. In conclusion, this exploration provides valuable insights into portraying lesser-studied linguistic aspects of cultures in text art, emphasizing the versatility of the medium and paving the way for future interdisciplinary endeavours.
Islamic Geometric Pattern Art and Anthropocene Aesthetics
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lankyung Kim
The study explores the integration of Islamic Geometric Patterns (IGP) within the context of Anthropocene aesthetics, a concept emphasizing human impact on the environment and its reflection in art. It discusses how IGP transcends traditional environmental themes, aligning with Theodor W. Adorno's aesthetic theory. Adorno's ideas on art's transformative role in society and its ability to challenge societal norms through autonomy are central to this analysis. The essay examines IGP's role in representing the intricate relationship between humanity and nature, showing how these patterns embody a sacred geography that bridges the earthly and the divine. It also delves into the role of IGP in contemporary visual arts, highlighting its influence and reinterpretation in the Anthropocene era. The study positions IGP as a medium that offers a unique perspective on environmental concerns, promoting a holistic view of the human-nature relationship.
Whose Art Is Architecture? – Redefining Architectural Painting as a Form of Public Art and Cultural Heritage: The Politics of Chromophobia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Claudia Valge
Architecture – the art of building – is the most prevalent form of public art, therefore, architectural painting is the most widespread and influential mode of painting. However, since architecture is not commonly perceived as art, architectural painting is relegated to a utilitarian role, as proven by my decade-long empirical research in this field. This paradigm ignores that humans receive 90% of information visually, hence, color in its monolithic architectural expanse has a profound effect on our psychology and aesthetics. Historically, painter-decorators hand-mixed and -painted buildings, while murals were an interdisciplinary link between fine arts and architecture, lending architectural painting an essential role in the development of local visual culture and nation-building. The purpose of this paper is thus to redefine architectural painting as a form of public art, cultural heritage, and conveyor of collective memory and national visual identity, which has quickly begun to vanish due to globalization. For this, I researched the building regulations of over 30 countries to assess how architectural color is approached in urban planning, ranging from no regulations to local administrations determining the colorways of entire cities according to research-determined traditional color schemes. To further understand why architectural color is undervalued, I studied the current politics and history of chromophobia, as well as architects’ preference of form over color and anti-artistic market interests creating palatably monochromatic architecture. These findings suggest we need more political and community intervention to return to human-centered design and revive architectural color as public art which enlivens our communal spaces.
