Words in Square
Livro do Tempo I (Book of Time I), Lygia Pape, 1961
ELIA Frames (tactile reading & writing system/font
Lygia Pape, a Brazilian artist, created Book of Time I that is composed of 365 unique geometric tiles, each representing an unassigned day in the calendar year. Each tile is embedded with its own sense of individuality.
We had some questions on how we could create a geometric language in a square by implanting our own sense of individuality and aesthetic like Lygia Pape did.
In our research of visualizing our language in an artistic way, we found ELIA (Education, Literacy, Independence for All) Frames, which is a new reading and writing system/font for people who have visual impairment. Andrew Chepaitis, president & CEO of The ELIA Idea Team and former equity research analyst, has created ELIA Frames to help blind people to easily learn and write. The frames are a revised and refined standard alphabet in shapes like circle, square, and semicircle.
According to his research, less than 1% of those who have a visual impairment can read braille, a tactile writing system, and it can take up to 10 months just to learn the alphabet. Compared to braille, ELIA Frames can be learned in as little as 3 hours and created to use for the keyboards.
Our next question we strived to answer is how we apply ELIA Frames into our geometric language making and by doing so, how we could show our sense of individuality like Lygia Pape’s art.
To learn more about ELIA Frames, please click below link:
Reference
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Livro do Tempo I (Book of Time I), Lygia Pape, 1961 from Glenstone
mixed media on wood
365 pieces, each 6 ¼ x 6 ¼ x 1 ½ inches (16 x 16 x 4 cm)
© Projeto Lygia Pape
Photo: Ron Amstutz