The negative spaces between letters of text are just as important as the letters themselves. Sharu Delilkan finds out how and why
At the Take It From Here exhibition at Mangere Arts Centre, viewers can leave with a poster print of the artwork that's on display. What that print art represents is a visual illusion of a new font, "Nga type", devised by Martin Langdon.
"It's great how the show is making art so much more accessible to the community," says Langdon.
The show features 12 original artworks, each design commissioned by Manukau Institute of Technology's School of Visual Arts. A thousand poster prints of each design have been printed off. This means visitors to the show can take home - free - a copy of the piece they liked most.
Langdon, an MIT Bachelor of visual arts student, says, "I'm really proud to be selected from the huge number of people who applied. It's really special being able to exhibit along with industry practitioners, which breaks down boundaries between students and lecturers."
The font designed by the Papatoetoe resident reflects his mixed cultural heritage - Maori and Pakeha - placing a strong emphasis on bicultural art.
Langdon based his Nga typeface on the traditional Maori koru pattern and on alphabetical text.
Although his entire artwork reads like text, he has made a concerted effort to "create a Rosetta stone type with cryptic crossword clues. I've basically tried to create negative space as negative letters."
He encourages people to look at the patterns because the words are "not specifically meant to be read.
"The aim is not to be exclusively text or pattern-like but more about integration. It's a bit like me, where I'm constantly struggling to find that particular point where I can create my own culture in the middle, which combines my mixed heritage."
Take It From Here, presented by Manukau School of Visual Arts, Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku, cnr Orly Ave and Bader Dr, Mangere Town Centre, until Nov 19. Contact: ph 262 5789.
Mixed message between the lines
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