ARABIC
LETTER
LAB

2022

IN THE FIRST EDITION OF ARABIC LETTER LAB, TITLED EXPERIMENT 01—2022, WE WANTED TO QUESTION ARABIC LETTERFORMS AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT, WITHOUT NECESSARILY FINDING AN ANSWER. THE ARABIC LETTER HOLDS POTENT AND DIVERSE ENERGIES: A FORMATIVE FORM, ELUSIVE AND EXPRESSIVE, YET FUNCTIONAL AND STERN. THIS LEAVES THE ARABIC LETTER TO STAND UNCHALLENGED, AND RIGHTLY SO. TO CHALLENGE IS PERCEIVED AS TO DEFY, AND WE ARE OFTEN FACED WITH FIRM OBJECTIONS AND DISCIPLINARY REACTIONS. EXPERIMENTING WITH THE LETTER, AND LANGUAGE AT LARGE, IS PLAYING WITH FIRE—AND WITH FIRE WE TRIED TO PLAY. OUR INQUISITIVE NATURE SPARKED A BURNING DESIRE TO EXPLORE LETTERFORMS, WHETHER THROUGH TRADITIONAL CALLIGRAPHY, PRAGMATIC TYPEFACES, OR EXPRESSIVE LETTERING. WE WANTED TO PLAY AND DISCOVER, EVEN IF WE CHARRED OUR FINGERS WITH HAPPY ACCIDENTS AND INEVITABLE FAILURES.