Contemporary Oracle Bones

POLY –
combining form; many; much

GLYPH –
a hieroglyphic character or symbol; a sculptured symbol an ornamental carved groove or channel

Before the invention of paper, ink and brush, carving transferred information through Oracle Bones and bamboo that were first used for calligraphic support. POLY-GLYPHS references the most ancient calligraphic tradition, creating gestural, liminal objects that transfer information and are intriguing artefacts in their own right.

POLY-GLYPHS are so named due to the process in which many lines are combined into a sculptured, hieroglyphic-like form through carving an ornamental groove or channel in modern materials. These POLY-GLYPH works create surfaces of carved symbols through a process of removing material and extend my QWERTY TEXTSCAPES series where the mark is made through the addition of material (ink and paint).

POLY-GLYPHS incorporate both the informational and gestural tradition of calligraphy. Gesture is derived from a line, which traces the formation of words on a QWERTY keyboard. The QWERTY gestural line is carved into the modern material of polystyrene, adding content via a process of removal. Ancient material meets digital content, created with an embodied gesture.