On Designing Glyphs

Leonurdo,Vol. 6,pp. 141-142. Pergamon Press 1973. Printed in Great Britain ON DESIGNING GLYPHS Daniel Chompre” A glyph is a symbolic image or a compact graphic design usually incised or carved in relief on stone or metal. Glyphsare one of the most enduring imprints of human thought. Those of prehistoric timesfound on rocks are called petroglyphs and were man’s principal way of passing on ideas of social value from generationto generation. Thepictorial characters employed in writing by the ancient Egyptians are known as hieroglyphs. Aglyphmay bea signora symbol. Dictionaries do not make a clear-cut distinction between these two terms [l, 21. Fromm describes three kinds of symbols : (a) the conventional, (b) the accidental and (c) the universal [3]. The first kind comprisesthose that have no natural basis, for example, signs used in mathematics and industry. The second kind originates from transitory conditions through associations made through casual contact. The third kind is defined as symbols having an intrinsic relation to what they represent. References 4 and 5 are also useful for those who wish to study the subject of symbols. *Artist living at 6 rue St. Aubin, 49OOO-Angers. France. (Received 26 July 1972.) Recently Sztkely in Leonard0 [6] used the term sign to mean a drawn or sculptured image whose significanceis understood by a viewer without prior instructions. A symbol, on the other hand, has a meaning established by convention, that is, in agreement between its inventor and its viewer. I shall not limit the term glyph to an image incised in relief and the image presented need not convey any meaning at all but is intended only to give aesthetic satisfaction to a viewer. My interest in glyphs arose from confronting my desireto make a seriesof drawingswith the objective of giving a visual experiencethat evolvesfrom drawing to drawing, each within a specified area. The first drawing or glyph becomes the module to be varied in the followingones. One might say that the first glyph is analogous to a biological cell that mutates to produce a different but similar cell (Fig. 1). At some point, I decide that the series has ended and then begin a series of glyphs with a new module. A hybrid series then can be drawn by combining glyphs from two different series. This procedure providesa large variety of graphic images for use as I see fit. When I worked in Finland as a graphic designer, Fig. 1. ‘Two Series of Glyphs’, ink drawing on paper, 24 x 20 cm, 1972. 141 142 Daniel Chompre‘ Fig. 2. ‘Oracle, No. OIO’, glyph rug, Nylon, 4 x 6 and 6 x 9 ft. 1972. (Manufactured by Leon Cape1 & Sons, Inc.,Troy, North Carolina 27371, U.S.A.). Fig. 4. ‘Glyph-modules’,wol I began to introduce my glyphs into the design of rugs (Fig. 2; Fig. 3 (cf. color plate)), fabrics, wrappingpaper etc. A sculpture I made of acombination of glyphs is shown in Figure 4. At present, I am interested in making kinetic paintings in which a glyphmodulewould undergocyclictransformations. My efforts with Malina’s Lumidyne system [7] for kineticpaintings have not so farproduced the results I desire but I believe his Reflectodyne system offers possibilities. REFERENCES 1. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield,Mass: G. and C. Merriam, 1967). 2. The Short Oxford English Dictionary (London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1965). 3. E. Fromm, The Forgotten Language (London: Gollancz, 1952). 4. I. E. Cirlot, A Dictionary of Symbols. Trans. J. Seze (London:Routledge & K. Paul, 1962). 5. H. Dreyfuss, Symbol Sourcebook (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972). 6. P. Szkkely, The Sign: My Sculpture and Architecture , Leonardo 5,203 (1972). - 7. F. J. Malina, Kinetic Painting: The Lumidyne Svstem. Leonardo 1.25 f 1968). id, height 15 cm, 1972. ...