In 2024 my tuqtuli project started in the most compelling way. I gave workshops at three festivals, two conferences and a high school in Brussels, Oberau, Berlin, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Kyoto. I had teaching assignments on this topic at universities in Cologne, Berlin and Kyoto. I also gave a talk about my vision at three conferences.
The next tuqtuli lecture and workshop will be held at this year’s TypoSalon of the Forum Typografie, which is themed »Plain Typography«, from 24 to 27 July in Oberschwaben in southern Germany. I am particularly pleased about this, as my Genesis – the starting point of the current tuqtuli project – was exhibited at the Forum Typography 1993 in Düsseldorf one of the first times ever.
On 31 October, I will be presenting my tuqtuli project at the next ‘Pendant l’apéro design’ event at Le Portemine in Clermont-Ferrand. En français! This is quite thrilling for me and my rather rusty French. Afterwards, I will travel with my host Loïc Marleix to Paris, where we will meet up with several other people who, like us, are working on and researching pictographic languages.
Meanwhile Edgar Walthert researched, wrote, designed and edited a jewel of a small publication on pictographic languages – among them my tuqtuli project. You can get his »Utopian Quest for a Pasigraphy« here. In it for the second time now I have been pictographed. Recently by a student in Kyoto, Arisa Kamigawa and now, by Quenton Miller. I find myself well met in both of them. Especially I love my global hairdo!
»Bewegt Euch (nicht) von der Stelle!« (»(Don’t) stir from the spot!«) is the title of the July issue of DAS MAGAZIN, this time featuring several photos from my lecture on the multifaceted symbol × (my favourite symbol and one of the oldest symbols known to humankind).
Until September, 21, the Museum Kirche in Franken in Bad Windsheim, Germany, will be showing my »Genesis« together with illustrated Bibles, paintings, sculptures, photography, light and sound installations as part of its exhibition. Only recently they published the exhibition catalogue »Sieben Tage – Bilder zur Schöpfung« (Seven Days – Images for the Creation Story).
Last year, I got to know Prof Dr Jan-Henning Raff through the dgtf German Society for Design Theory and Research, of which I am a member. Shortly afterwards, we started a bi-monthly round table on research and development in the field of visual communication, the visual circle. The next one will take place on 23 July. You can register here.