title
Contour Code
Artist/Designer
Calder Ruhl Hansen
Date
2019
type of writing system
Alphabet, Cipher
Based on
Latin script
References
Asian Calligraphy
Contour Code is a writing system that encodes text in two-dimensional compositions of shapes. A procedure was designed for converting the outlines of the compositions into sequences of characters. This was achieved based on two design goals: to produce beautiful abstractions, and to create a versatile code capable of deciphering any arrangement of geometric shapes as text. The inspiration for Contour Code lies in the concept that shapes in our environment could be engaged in a hidden discourse, with their concealed meanings unveiled through the code. The design process was focused on achieving harmonious balance between aesthetic allure, algorithmic finesse, and user-friendliness. There were four prints on display in the exhibiton, each showcasing a word inscribed in Contour Code. The top and bottom designs below on the left spell the word “shape.” The top right one spells “yes,” and the bottom right spells “the end.”
Watch the video for the artist’s explanation of how Contour Code works.
Artwork courtesy of Calder Ruhl Hansen. All rights reserved.
abjad
abugida
acrophony
acrostic
alphabet
alphasyllabary
asemic writing
automatic writing
boustrophedon
character
character set
cipher
code
conscript
cryptography
encode
experimental
grapheme
glyph
hieroglyph
hieroglyphics
imaginarium
language
letter
letterform
linguistic
logosyllabary
logographic
logogram
nat scirpt
neography
optophonetic
phoneme
phonetic
pictograph
quasi
re-worlding
script
syllabary
syllable
symbol
speculative
torus
versimilitude
writing system
