Babel Tower by Iva Geneva

REA son Language is one of the oft-noticed and first recognised differences between cultures. If culture is a sum of the ideas, customs, and social behaviours of a particular people or society, then deafblind people have their own culture, as they grow and live in a specific to their needs and perceptions ways. They see and feel what surrounds them very distinctively; indeed the language and methods of communication they use is subjective to every individual, as deafblindess is the condition of little or no useful hearing, and little or no useful sight. The Tower of Babel, a myth, or truth, tells the story of united people, people from different lands, but speaking the same language, building the tower ‘reaching the skies’, where they could all live together in understanding and aiming for achievement. With this project I am not trying to blur the distinctions between cultures and their languages, but to use their galore, their complexity and beauty, and to show that when combined through the means of graphic design, deafblind and non-deafblind people can find a mutual language, learn about each other, understand and appreciate what makes them different and unique. Deafblind people communicate in numerous ways, including sign, manual, Braille, and Moon alphabets, tactile signing, breathing patterns, body language, etc. Communication for them is very personal and sensitive, as they usually cannot communicate at the same time with more than one person. With your peer, try to close your eyes and ‘draw’ letters and words on the palm of your hands. It is very intriguing way of communicating, developing senses that non-deafblind people seem to be losing and forgetting with the increasing technology use in our everyday communication.

INTER face + manual + braille + arthrological The concept for a hybrid alphabet (named alphabet, instead of typeface, as it is based on sign language, which uses manual alphabets) you are about to see has been developing for about four months, as I am drawn by the idea to find a new way that deaf, blind and other people can communicate in real time and space. Combining Braille and manual alphabet, and George Dalgarno’s ‘arthrological ‘ alphabet, where letters are indicated by pointing to different joints of the fingers, I created something like a tracking system of the position and movement of sign language, marked with a dot as in Braille, and in the place of every fingertip, as in Dalgarno’s alphabet. The alphabet comes in two variations – one is showing the actual sign and the dots complementing it, and this could be used by deafblind people with little sight loss, and as a handbook of non-deafblind people in order easily to learn the alphabet. The other is showing only the dots left after the signs, and it is to be used by those who have more severe sight loss, and by advanced non-deafblind learners. The alphabet comes in Latin for which I used American Sign Language. The reason behind using ASL is not to promote American English over British English, but because its usage of one hand, instead of two hands (as in British Sign Language) in signing is easier and allows the person to ‘read’ the signs with one hand, and ‘say’ them with the other.

Babel Tower SD *SD - Signs & Dots. The first version of the alphabet, which not only explains the concept of it, but could also work as a learning guide for those who have little sight loss and/or prefer this version.

THE HIDDEN dots

Even when some of the fingertips are not on the front, when some signs require them to roll, fold and hide somewhere, the dots are still there, each size according to the different fingers. Like this one, the letter â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Qâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which now looks more like a little face, or maybe like a crab, two widely spread eyes, missing body and a tail. Learning new language always brings the fun aspect of it.

order & balance

HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHH

AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA

NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNN

DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDD

IT IS IN YOUR HANDS

Babel Tower DO *DO - Dots Only. The second version of the alphabet, which continues the process and develops into the final stage. It could be used by those who have more severe sight loss, and by advanced nondeafblind learners.

THE HIDDEN faces & letters

Sign Language has implemented incredible logic behind its signs. Most of the letters are hidden behind them, and even in this hybrid version of it, they can still be found, just with a different face. Most often the thumb and the index fingers are the leading ones, and the ones that draw the letter, and the rest serve more like a ground terrain for the leaders.

IT IS BEHIND ANY FONT YOU WANT

AA A A AA AA Univer 45 Light pt 188; Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic

Adobe Caslon Pro pt 184; Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic

another way to say from A to Z

another way to im ple ment the dots

P 10

S Univers 85 Extra Black pt 520 + Babel Tower DO pt 480

Babel Tower Commu nication ‘Under the conscious control of the brain’ – this is what ‘voluntary’ means, and this is how this alphabet should be applied and used, only under the conscious control of the brain. Babel Tower should be used freely, for all different matters and purposes, as its relatives, like manual, Braille and arthrological alphabets are being used. It is to be provided in educational institutions like schools, colleges and university in order to familiarise and teach both children and young people who have and who do not have special communication needs. Babel Tower is to be spread in educational institutions where the discipline of graphic and type design is being studied, like University of the Arts London (specifically London College of Communication), in order to teach students of the wide range and numerous variations of language and its visualisation. Its use in the appropriate deign agencies and organisations like Sense UK (for deafblindess) is crucial, as these are the ones that can promote and develop the idea of understanding and bridging of communication between deafblind and non-deafblind people.