Arabic Script in Motion: A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art PDF
Preview Arabic Script in Motion: A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art
. m j avad kh a j av i A R A B I C S C R I P T I N M O T I O N A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art Arabic Script in Motion M. Javad Khajavi Arabic Script in Motion A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art M. Javad Khajavi Volda University College Volda, Norway ISBN 978-3-030-12648-3 ISBN 978-3-030-12649-0 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12649-0 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Cover Image: Javad Khajavi Cover Design: Fatima Jamadar / eStudio Calamar This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland For Yasamin and my parents P reface One of the characteristics of the contemporary media landscape is its ten- dency to astonish and enthrall through creating multimodal sensory expe- riences. Today, a little more than a century after the invention of cinema, temporal audio-visual media are dramatically changing the ways in which we experience the world. Meanwhile, in a culture that is rapidly becoming dominated by screen-based media and moving image content, text in its various modes of representation increasingly appears in dynamic forms. Indeed, textual information today is being communicated through time- based media more than ever before. Text displayed in TV commercials, in the user interfaces of various websites and computer programs, in applica- tions on our smartphones, and on the large screens of the Times Square in New York City or the Dotonbori area in Osaka have one thing in com- mon: they don’t stay still and they try to draw viewers’ attention by mov- ing or changing. Meanwhile, text written in the Arabic system of writing (i.e. the script used for writing many languages including but not limited to the Arabic language) also increasingly appears on screen-based media and in temporal contexts. As designers, artists, and consumers show more interest in dynamic text, temporal typography and time-based calligraphic art written in Arabic script are on the rise. Arabic Script in Motion is con- cerned with how text written in the Arabic alphabet (and its modified ver- sions used by languages other than Arabic) is displayed in such time-b ased media. This book originated in the idea that the innate qualities of Arabic script and certain practices in traditional Islamic calligraphy and contem- porary calligraphic art can and do inform the behavior of Arabic characters in time-based media. Reinterpreting classical aesthetics and contemporary vii viii PREFACE calligraphic art through the lens of animation and motion design, this book informs new technologies and practices. It expands the vocabulary used in describing Arabic script’s representation in time-based media and proposes a theory to help practitioners push new boundaries in temporal text-based art. Moreover, it tackles questions of legibility and readability, and attempts to understand how the temporality of Arabic text influences meaning-making. As such, the book is directed not only at animators, designers, and artists but also at commentators and scholars who deal with temporal text-based art written in Arabic script. This book follows the system of transliteration suggested by the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) with slight modifi- cations. The names of artists and places, for instance, have been repre- sented in the more familiar forms as used in the references cited; for example, Ghasem Hashemi instead of Qāsim Hāshimı.̄ The same is pre- ferred for spellings that have gained common acceptance in English; for instance, Qur’an instead of Qurʾān. It should also be noted that Arabic script is the system of writing used for many languages in addition to the Arabic language. Languages such as Persian (Farsi), Ottoman Turkish, Urdu, Kurdi, Pashto, and so on all use the Arabic system of writing and modified versions of the Arabic alphabet for their textual representation. Therefore, the term “Arabic script,” which appears recurrently in this book, should not be confused with the Arabic language. The term refers to the Arabic system of writing and applies to all languages that use this system for their textual representation. Throughout the book translation of non-English (i.e. Arabic, Persian or Turkish) words is provided inside the parentheses that come immediately after each word. The following abbreviations have been used to identify the language of non-English words: A. = Arabic, P. = Persian, T. = Turkish. It should also be pointed out that a website, which includes all the examples presented in this book as well as a growing database of temporal Arabic text-based artworks, accompanies the book and can be accessed at the following address: www. animatedcalligraphy.com. Volda, Norway M. Javad Khajavi a cknowledgments As with most works, this book is the product of the advice, criticism, help, encouragement, and support of many people. I began working on this topic as a doctoral candidate at the School of Art, Design & Media of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. I am indebted to my advi- sors, Vibeke Sorensen and Heitor Capuzzo, for encouraging me to explore the boundaries of temporal text-based art and for their continued support throughout the course of my Ph.D. studies. I am most grateful to Michael Walsh, a visionary scholar and a great mentor, whose help, support, encour- agement, and invaluable insights provided the motivation for this book. I feel privileged not only for having met but also for having received insight- ful feedback from Nada Shabout, Ben Alvin Shedd, and Birgitta Hosea. A big thank you to Giannalberto Bendazzi, Ishu Patel, Zeliha Gul Inanc, Hans-Martin Rall, Peer M. Satikh, Ross Adrian Williams, Sujatha Arundathi Meegama, Yin Ker, and Meridel Rubenstein. Here I should also thank the members of the Substantial Motion Research Network (SMRN), especially Laura Marks, for their constructive feedback and encouragement. Similarly, I am thankful to Endre Eidsa Larsen and Trygve Nielsen. Ellie Freedman and Lina Aboujieb provided great support and valuable feedback through- out the whole process of preparing the manuscript and the book; I am grateful to both of them. Last but not least, my greatest debt of gratitude goes to my wife and my parents for their constant support and encourage- ment. Their contribution is far greater than they will ever know. I would also like to thank all the artists whose artworks decorate pages of this book. Their works have truly contributed to the enrichment of the content of this book both visually and contextually. I am thankful to Parviz ix x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Tanavoli and his daughter Tandar. Similarly, many thanks should go to Harvard Art Museums, ATHR gallery, Chapchin studio, and Barjeel Arts Foundation. Special thanks go to Lubna Hammad, Ali Shirazi, Bahman Panahi, Mounir Fatmi, Jalil Rasouli, Nasser al-Salem, Mohammad Bozorgi, Ramin Shirdel, Azim Fallah, Bahram Hanafi, Ali Esmaeli Ghoochani, Babak Rashvand, Meghdad Asadi Lari, and Seyed Ghasem Hashemi Amrei. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and to credit all the visuals presented in this book. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to make the necessary arrange- ments at the first opportunity. c ontents 1 I ntroduction 1 2 Kinetic Behaviors 29 3 Kinesthetic Behaviors 39 4 Plasmatic Behaviors 81 5 Transformative Behaviors 97 6 Meta-transformative Behaviors 133 7 Conclusion 167 Glossary 175 Index 179 xi
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