More about the Rosetta Stone

Finding out more about the Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is important in the history of type as well as in understanding the Ancient Egyptian History, giving us a peak into the period of 196 BC in Egypt. The inscription on the stone is a decree by a council of priests, affirming the royal cult of Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation. The inscription was written in three different forms: Hieroglyphic, Demotic and Ancient Greek. This was key as the different forms of inscriptions allowed modern people to track back using Ancient Greek to decipher the Hieroglyphic and Demotic inscriptions.

Image showing how the Rosetta Stone would have been while it was still intact.

Rosetta Stone was actually attached to an even greater part of the slab and only portions of the text was captured on the remaining of the artifact for all three forms of inscriptions. Besides of the incompleteness of the text, there was an even bigger challenge where Hieroglyphic could represent a sound, abstract concept or even literally what has been drawn all depending on the context which increased the difficulty to decipher. However, the presence of presence of cartouches which indicates that the text enclosed is a royal’s name, helped made the deciphering slightly easier. As the name was constant throughout the three inscriptions, parts of the Ancient Greek text could then be easily matched with the the Hieroglyphic and easily decipher meanings of certain Hieroglyphic.

Image showing an example of Cartouches

What was interesting to me about this artifact is how key it is to the history of understanding typography. Without this piece of artifact, it may have been even harder for us to understand Hieroglyphic and how it was read. Perhaps missing out on a key stage in the process of typography and understanding how ancient Egyptians influenced the progress of Ancient Greek alphabets and to the modern alphabets.

It also gives us a glimpse into the Egyptian life back then where the three inscription served different purposes despite conveying the same content. Hieroglyphic was likely for priests, Demotic as the “language of people” and Ancient Greek as the language of administration. From this example, it also shows how typography could be a reflection of status and lifestyle within that time. As typography progresses, there is also a change to become more cohesive and compatible into a single form rather than multiple forms.

References:
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Rosetta Stone

https://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/trs/trs07.htm
https://www.historyofvisualcommunication.com/03-the-alphabet

(Image Reference)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-does-the-rosetta-stone-say

Field Trip to NGS: Life Circuit: I/O, Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery with Inter-Mission

What was the event about?

The two-day interactive piece that involved the re-exhibiting of Lee Kang So’s Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery (1973) as well as the collaboration of technology in art by Inter-mission, namely Urich Lan and Teow Yue Han. During the performance, there was a lot of sounds and visual stimulation via videography. This included scenes from Urban Shibuya on live Google Hangouts, scenes from the gallery itself being videoed by Teow as well as pre-recorded videos, all being toggled with. While Lan adjusted the sounds based on reactions from the live audiences.

 Teow Yue Han toggling the Live Google Hangouts from his laptop.

Teow Yue Han recording the surroundings of the gallery.

Through the performance, Lan then begins to put on gears such as gas mask, headphones and an eye mask that had two display screens facing the audience. The gears became his life support as it replaced and rendered his senses useless. The setting also involved several microphones around the area to record the sounds from day one of the event as Lan moved around with the gear, unable to see or hear his surroundings.

Urich Lan wearing his gears.

Urich Lan moving around the performance area.

Based on the conversation we had with Teow after the performance, we found out that the “Life Circuit” element of the interactive piece is due to the continuation on the second night of the two-day event. Dancers would be invited to perform live, reacting to scenes that were being recorded by Teow on the first night. Teow summarises it by telling us how day one was mostly an input and streaming of data, generating lots of footage while day two involved more of the output and stripping everything down to the bare minimum.

Reflections and Impressions

I think the use of Lee Kang So’s Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery (1975) piece helped to frame the interactive piece. The 1975 piece had a purpose of showcasing the problem of existence, where Lee felt that while he was with his senior at the pub drinking,

“we were there and not there at the same time”.

While he was physically present, he could envision and be immersed in another scene in which his experience would vary drastically from another individual.

Lee Kang-So, ‘Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery’, 1973, Myong-Dong Gallery, Seoul, Korea. 
Image courtesy the artist.

Similarly, to bring out such disappearance, the scene of Shibuya, an urbanised area in Japan, was chosen to bring out the comparison between something of the past, versus the current urbanisation. This suggested the element of disappearance. At the same time, the use of the gears to replace the senses of Lan also suggests a sense of him being physically present, but unable to see, hear or sense anything in the real world, allowing him to immerse and encompass into another world of his own.

The life circuit created by Lan using his devices included the two screens on his eye mask showing the different scenes while the gas mask used as a form of speakers. This further emphasises on the complete removal of senses from the performer and the idea of being present but not present as the audience and the performer may be looking at each other but they see very different things.

I was impressed with the idea and concept that they used to re-furbish this idea and exhibition piece of Lee Kang So’s Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery (1975). While conveying a similar concept, the use of technological equipment made it more relatable to current day context and engaging. At the same time, it felt more personal to me due to the removal of the senses, causing me to experience a sense of uncertainty and unknown for the performer while at the same time knowing where he was. It was also interesting to find out about the continuation of the event on the second night bringing a sense of closure for me regarding the event as it became clearer and more impactful.

References:

https://inter-mission.art/
“Disappearance”: Lee Kang-So’s 1970s works at Gallery Hyundai, Seoul – original interview extract

https://www.nationalgallery.sg/blog/happenings-at-disappearance-bar-in-the-gallery
https://www.facebook.com/events/national-gallery-singapore/happeningsdisappearance-bar-in-the-gallery-with-inter-mission/2360794190803627/

Inspiring Interactive Art: the event of a thread

What is it about?

“the event of a thread” was created by visual artist Ann Hamilton and held in Wade Thompson Drill Hall. The main interactive art involved a large piece of Cloth hung in the center, connected to many threads that intersect and attached to the threads are swings for people to sit on. The hall resonates with voices from radios in paper bags scattered around. While in another area, live inscriptions are read to birds contained in cages. Individuals could also write letters addressed to qualities, emotions or faraway places. With so many events happening in the same space, these events were somehow still connected.

Reflection and thoughts

I felt that it was very intelligent of Ann Hamilton to use the idea of a soft flowing piece of cloth to express the idea of connectivity. As people on the swings may not be able to see the domino effect of how each of their actions are correlated. However, the presence of a physical item that shows the continuous rippled movement of the cloth as it sways left and right, rises and dips, clearly shows how a single movement can affect another in the interlaced and ever complex society.

While the address of the inscriptions is echoed through the radio and throughout the hall, it provides a steady rhythm that connects the individuals in the hall together while providing a sense of intimacy via the voice. Despite being a single individual, the sound is being effectively used in this large area to bring the people together, minimizing distance (not physically) but spiritually into a single space.

While showing connectivity, Ann Hamilton also creates an area for reflection, allowing an individual to write letters. As they reflect on the event that is occurring before them as well as their individual lives. The caged birds released at the end of the day also provides a form of comfort and release for both the birds and the viewers as they regain their freedom.

I think what was interesting was that Ann Hamilton, while she studied textile studies, what she has weaved here in this event is not just simply a cloth, but more of a society where we are individualized and yet connected through elements in the exhibition. At the same time, she creates a time and a common space for people to be in. Selecting the right cloth and locations of activities to be placed at becomes crucial as it brings together the idea of a sense of both connectivity and isolation to engage in and reflect upon. While the event and her studies may seem vastly different, she uses her knowledge of textile studies, and implements them into the the event as she weaves the idea of isolation and connection nicely in this common space and time.

References:
http://www.annhamiltonstudio.com/images/projects/armory/Ann_statement_final.pdf
http://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/ann_hamilton

Ann Hamilton’s “the event of a thread”
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/01/the-event-of-a-thread/