M . J AVA D KH A J AV I ARABIC SCRIPT IN MOTION A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art Arabic Script in Motion M. Javad Khajavi Arabic Script in Motion A Theory of Temporal Text-based Art M. Javad Khajavi Volda University College Volda, Norway ISBN 978-3-030-12648-3 ISBN 978-3-030-12649-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12649-0 (eBook) © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover Image: Javad Khajavi Cover Design: Fatima Jamadar / eStudio Calamar This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland For Yasamin and my parents PREFACE One of the characteristics of the contemporary media landscape is its tendency to astonish and enthrall through creating multimodal sensory experiences. Today, a little more than a century after the invention of cinema, temporal audio-visual media are dramatically changing the ways in which we experience the world. Meanwhile, in a culture that is rapidly becoming dominated by screen-based media and moving image content, text in its various modes of representation increasingly appears in dynamic forms. Indeed, textual information today is being communicated through timebased media more than ever before. Text displayed in TV commercials, in the user interfaces of various websites and computer programs, in applications on our smartphones, and on the large screens of the Times Square in New York City or the Dotonbori area in Osaka have one thing in common: they don’t stay still and they try to draw viewers’ attention by moving or changing. Meanwhile, text written in the Arabic system of writing (i.e. the script used for writing many languages including but not limited to the Arabic language) also increasingly appears on screen-based media and in temporal contexts. As designers, artists, and consumers show more interest in dynamic text, temporal typography and time-based calligraphic art written in Arabic script are on the rise. Arabic Script in Motion is concerned with how text written in the Arabic alphabet (and its modified versions used by languages other than Arabic) is displayed in such time-based media. This book originated in the idea that the innate qualities of Arabic script and certain practices in traditional Islamic calligraphy and contemporary calligraphic art can and do inform the behavior of Arabic characters in time-based media. Reinterpreting classical aesthetics and contemporary vii viii PREFACE calligraphic art through the lens of animation and motion design, this book informs new technologies and practices. It expands the vocabulary used in describing Arabic script’s representation in time-based media and proposes a theory to help practitioners push new boundaries in temporal text-based art. Moreover, it tackles questions of legibility and readability, and attempts to understand how the temporality of Arabic text influences meaning-making. As such, the book is directed not only at animators, designers, and artists but also at commentators and scholars who deal with temporal text-based art written in Arabic script. This book follows the system of transliteration suggested by the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES) with slight modifications. The names of artists and places, for instance, have been represented in the more familiar forms as used in the references cited; for example, Ghasem Hashemi instead of Qāsim Hāshimı̄. The same is preferred for spellings that have gained common acceptance in English; for instance, Qur’an instead of Qurʾān. It should also be noted that Arabic script is the system of writing used for many languages in addition to the Arabic language. Languages such as Persian (Farsi), Ottoman Turkish, Urdu, Kurdi, Pashto, and so on all use the Arabic system of writing and modified versions of the Arabic alphabet for their textual representation. Therefore, the term “Arabic script,” which appears recurrently in this book, should not be confused with the Arabic language. The term refers to the Arabic system of writing and applies to all languages that use this system for their textual representation. Throughout the book translation of non-English (i.e. Arabic, Persian or Turkish) words is provided inside the parentheses that come immediately after each word. The following abbreviations have been used to identify the language of non-English words: A. = Arabic, P. = Persian, T. = Turkish. It should also be pointed out that a website, which includes all the examples presented in this book as well as a growing database of temporal Arabic text-based artworks, accompanies the book and can be accessed at the following address: www. animatedcalligraphy.com. Volda, Norway M. Javad Khajavi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As with most works, this book is the product of the advice, criticism, help, encouragement, and support of many people. I began working on this topic as a doctoral candidate at the School of Art, Design & Media of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. I am indebted to my advisors, Vibeke Sorensen and Heitor Capuzzo, for encouraging me to explore the boundaries of temporal text-based art and for their continued support throughout the course of my Ph.D. studies. I am most grateful to Michael Walsh, a visionary scholar and a great mentor, whose help, support, encouragement, and invaluable insights provided the motivation for this book. I feel privileged not only for having met but also for having received insightful feedback from Nada Shabout, Ben Alvin Shedd, and Birgitta Hosea. A big thank you to Giannalberto Bendazzi, Ishu Patel, Zeliha Gul Inanc, Hans-Martin Rall, Peer M. Satikh, Ross Adrian Williams, Sujatha Arundathi Meegama, Yin Ker, and Meridel Rubenstein. Here I should also thank the members of the Substantial Motion Research Network (SMRN), especially Laura Marks, for their constructive feedback and encouragement. Similarly, I am thankful to Endre Eidsa Larsen and Trygve Nielsen. Ellie Freedman and Lina Aboujieb provided great support and valuable feedback throughout the whole process of preparing the manuscript and the book; I am grateful to both of them. Last but not least, my greatest debt of gratitude goes to my wife and my parents for their constant support and encouragement. Their contribution is far greater than they will ever know. I would also like to thank all the artists whose artworks decorate pages of this book. Their works have truly contributed to the enrichment of the content of this book both visually and contextually. I am thankful to Parviz ix x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Tanavoli and his daughter Tandar. Similarly, many thanks should go to Harvard Art Museums, ATHR gallery, Chapchin studio, and Barjeel Arts Foundation. Special thanks go to Lubna Hammad, Ali Shirazi, Bahman Panahi, Mounir Fatmi, Jalil Rasouli, Nasser al-Salem, Mohammad Bozorgi, Ramin Shirdel, Azim Fallah, Bahram Hanafi, Ali Esmaeli Ghoochani, Babak Rashvand, Meghdad Asadi Lari, and Seyed Ghasem Hashemi Amrei. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and to credit all the visuals presented in this book. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Kinetic Behaviors 29 3 Kinesthetic Behaviors 39 4 Plasmatic Behaviors 81 5 Transformative Behaviors 97 6 Meta-transformative Behaviors 133 7 Conclusion 167 1 Glossary 175 Index 179 xi LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 2.1 Fig. 2.2 Fig. 2.3 Fig. 3.1 Fig. 3.2 Fig. 3.3 Fig. 3.4 Fig. 3.5 Meghdad Asadi Lari, Simorgh (2014). In this short, animated film, calligraphic motifs and words are used in the background and the design of the birds (see Video 2.1 on the website). (Image courtesy of Meghdad Asadi Lari) Stills from a short temporal typography video by the author showing various types of kinetic behavior (see Video 2.2). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Nasser al-Salem, An Adornment of Stars, 2015, Video projection (loop), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Image courtesy of Nasser al-Salem and ATHR gallery) A page of sı̄yāh-mashq, unknown artist, dated 2009. Sı̄yāh-mashq pieces, such as this one, are imbued with a sense of rhythmic dynamism. (Source: http://noroozirad503.rozblog.com/cat/) Different forms of the letter ‘ayn (highlighted in blue) depending on its place within the word. (© M. Javad Khajavi) The calligraphic line created by the reed pen of Islamic calligraphy and its traits. (© M. Javad Khajavi) A calligraphic piece recreated by the author based on a calligraphic artwork by Hafiz Hasan Refet Ṭrabzonı̄, dated 1886–1887. The letter yā’ (‫ )ی‬is inscribed in this composition in an elongated form that induces a horizontal movement; this directs the eyes of the viewer and enhances the process of reading along the horizontal axis of the piece The first verse of the Qur’an, bismillāh-i al-rahmān-i al-rahı̄m (A. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful) written in three different scripts of Islamic calligraphy, inscribed by Ali Esmaeli Ghoochani, 1980. (Image courtesy of the artist) 30 32 35 42 43 44 46 51 xiii xiv LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 3.6 Fig. 3.7 Fig. 3.8 Fig. 3.9 Fig. 3.10 Fig. 3.11 Fig. 3.12 Fig. 3.13 Fig. 3.14 Fig. 3.15 Fig. 3.16 Fig. 3.17 A piece of calligraphy written in shikastih script, signed by ʿAbd al-Majid Taliqani, 1769–1770. (Source: Blair, 2006) Sadegh Tabrizi, Untitled, Ink on parchment, 60 × 60 cm Bahram Hanafi, Untitled, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 150 × 98 cm. (Source: http://bahramhanafi.com/2018/05/07/collection_ 2016/) Jalil Rasouli, part of a qiṭʿa in nasta’lı̄q (this is only a part of the original work), dated 1985. (Source: Kiani & Kamarei, 2012) Two pages of sı̄yāh-mashq, unknown artist, most likely nineteenth century. (Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Reza Mafi, Untitled, 1974, ink and oil on canvas, 99.06 × 76.2 cm. (Source: Kiani & Kamarei, 2012) Babak Rashvand, Lightness and Darkness, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 100 × 100 cm. (Image courtesy of Babak Rashvand) Four consecutive frames from a short video by the author, showing the motion along the calligraphic line. This motion is akin to the movements of the pen that register the calligraphic shapes on paper (see Video 3.1). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from the short animation The Third Script (2017). In this part of the animation, calligraphic forms, letters, and words appear through kinesthetic motion. The trace of the motion that remains on the screen in this process is akin to the process of writing calligraphy on paper (see Video 3.2). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from the animated film The Third Script (2017). In this part of the animation, the trace of the motion along the calligraphic line does not remain on the screen, giving the impression of a moving calligraphic line that conforms to the shape of a calligraphic form. As a result, the shape of the calligraphic form cannot be completely seen in any single frame of the animation (see Video 3.3). (© M. Javad Khajavi) The Passion of Love, 2016, Time-based calligraphic installation (projection mapping on calligraphic sculpture), one minute animation loop, 90 × 60 cm. The animated visuals projected onto the sculpture show an example of kinesthetic behavior and highlight the words along the trajectory of their calligraphic lines (see Video 6.8). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Top: Stills from a scene in the animated short film The Third Script (2017). Bottom: Diagram showing the directions of the two different types of motion in this scene. The directions of the kinesthetic behavior of the individual letterforms and the 54 56 57 59 61 63 64 67 68 69 71 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 3.18 Fig. 4.1 Fig. 4.2 Fig. 4.3 Fig. 4.4 Fig. 4.5 Fig. 4.6 Fig. 4.7 Fig. 4.8 Fig. 4.9 direction of the motion induced by their successive arrangement in space and time (which created the kinesthetic composition) can be seen in the diagram. (© M. Javad Khajavi) The mechanism of motion in a Mexican wave. The Mexican wave embodies a sense of flow and is produced when individuals who are adjacent to each other successively stand up and sit or raise and then lower their hands. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Part of a page of muaraqqa’āt signed by ʿAbdallah, dated 1675–1676. The letter ‘ayn (in blue) appears in three forms (initial, medial, and final) on this page of Islamic calligraphy. (Source: Safwat, 1996) In Islamic calligraphy, the shape of letters may shift depending on the letter that precedes or follows them. (© M. Javad Khajavi) The letter sı̄n (‫ )س‬in its normal shape (left) and elongated form (right). (© M. Javad Khajavi) The letter yā’ (‫ )ی‬in three different shapes in shikastih script: normal shape (left); two elongated forms (right). Aside from these three, it has other shapes in this script. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Album leaf (muraqqa’) of nasta’liq signed by Imad al-Hassani (Mir Imad al-Mulk Qazvini Hassani), Qazvin, Iran, ink, watercolor, and gold on paper, 1600. Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada. Elongated penstrokes are highlighted in blue. (Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Part of a Mufradāt album signed by Mehmed Şevki, dated 1866–1867. The word tawf ı ̄q, which appears twice in the piece, is written differently with a slight modification in its shape in the second line. The letter fā’ (the first letter in the highlighted part of the word) is rendered in its full independent form in the second line. (Source: Safwat, 1996) Parviz Tanavoli, Red Heech, 2001, fiberglass, 290 × 178 × 286 × 180 cm. The word seems to be plasmatic in Tanavoli’s Heech sculptures; the calligraphic line is elastoplastic in his hands and takes up various shapes. (Reproduced courtesy of Parviz Tanavoli. Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Farid Yahaghi and Davood Morgan, CircoGraphic (2013) (see Video 4.1). (Image courtesy of Chapchinstudio) Farid Yahaghi and Davood Morgan, CircoGraphic (2013). In this scene of the animation, two words in the form of acrobats join as if holding hands and create a new word. Within this process, the shapes of their letters change so that they can physically connect with each other. This type of temporal xv 73 75 84 85 86 87 88 89 91 92 xvi LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 5.1 Fig. 5.2 Fig. 5.3 Fig. 5.4 Fig. 5.5 Fig. 5.6 Fig. 5.7 Fig. 5.8 Fig. 5.9 Fig. 5.10 Fig. 5.11 Fig. 5.12 behavior in which calligraphic forms shift shape is informed by the plasmatic quality of Arabic script (see Video 4.1). (Image courtesy of Chapchinstudio) Floriated Kufic inscription on the wall beside the gate of Badr al-Jamali and al-Mustansir, Bab al-Futuh, Cairo, Egypt, 1082. (Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Bowl with inscription and birds, Nishapur, Iran, tenth century. (Image courtesy of Harvard Art Museums: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College) Painting, Iran, fifteenth century, 45 × 50 cm. Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul. (Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Mahmoud Hammad, Bism Allah Alrahman Alraheem, 1983, oil on canvas, 99 × 80 cm. (Image courtesy of Lubna Hammad and Barjeel Art Foundation) Mohammad Bozorgi, He Will Provide, 2015, thirteen panels, acrylic on canvas, 264 × 575 cm. (Image courtesy of Mohammad Bozorgi) Stills from a short animation test by the author. Abstract forms transform into the word ishq (P. love) (see Video 5.1). (© M. Javad Khajavi) The identity gamut. In calligraphic animation and animated type, forms may transform within the confines of the identity gamut. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from an animation test by the author. In this animation test, a line moves around the screen, taking the shape of the letters of the word khush (P. joy) one after another. As the line transforms from one letter to the next, it loses its verbal identity and becomes an abstract shape for a few frames until it conforms to the shape of the next letter (see Video 5.2). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from an animation test by the author. In this simple animation the letter ḥā’ changes into the letters khā’, j ı̄m, and chā’ (see Video 5.3). (© M. Javad Khajavi) The extended version of the identity gamut. This extended version helps explain the direct transformation of a form with verbal identity into another form with a different verbal identity. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from a short animation test by the author. The image shows the transformation of a letter into another letter through metamorphosis (see Video 5.4). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from a video ident for Al Jazeera America. In this video a transformation of identity occurs through metamorphosis (see Video 5.5) 94 98 99 100 103 104 106 108 111 112 114 115 116 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 5.13 Fig. 5.14 Fig. 5.15 Fig. 5.16 Fig. 5.17 Fig. 5.18 Fig. 5.19 Fig. 5.20 Fig. 5.21 Fig. 6.1 Fig. 6.2 Fig. 6.3 Fig. 6.4 Stills from an animation test by the author that shows how (de)construction as a temporal behavior operates. In this animation, a number of individual forms freely move around the screen; at some points in the animation, they align so that their overall shape forms the letter hā’ (‫( )ه‬see Video 5.6). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from Kinetic Calligraphy, Ali al-Masri, 2012, multimedia animation test Kutluğ Ataman, Animated Words, 2003, video installation: DVD, DVD player, LCD flat-panel wall-mounted monitor, 43 × 48 cm (see Video 5.8) Ramin Shirdel, Eyn Shin Ghaf, 2016, painted wood on panel, 360 × 120 × 28 cm. (Image courtesy of Ramin Shirdel) Phases of legibility on the verbal–abstract identity continuum (one side of the identity gamut). In animation a form may oscillate between the two extremes. As its identity oscillates, its legibility fluctuates too. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Phases of legibility on the identity gamut. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Phases of legibility on the extended version of the identity gamut. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Superimposition of the frames from the animation test in Video 5.2. The full shape of the word khush (P. joy) and the letters comprising it are easily observed in this image. When watching the animation test, the brain of a person who is familiar with Arabic script probably creates a mental image like this, superimposing various frames in order to seek semantic meaning. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from an animation test by the author. Pseudo-calligraphic forms play a role in the process of legibility, by hinting to the audience that what they are seeing is some sort of a language (see Video 5.1). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Calligraphy inscribed in the shape of a lion, India, eighteenth century, opaque watercolor on paper. The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, United States. (Source: Alamy Stock Photos) Bahman Panahi, The Album of Beauties, 2000, page of sı̄yāhmashq, ink on paper, 21 × 27 cm. (Image courtesy of Bahman Panahi) Ali Shirazi, Swawing Scripts, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 150 × 150 cm. (Image courtesy of Ali Shirazi) Azim Fallah, Free Composition, 2010, acrylic on paper, 50 × 100 cm. (Image courtesy of Azim Fallah) xvii 117 118 119 121 123 124 125 126 128 134 135 138 142 xviii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 6.5 Fig. 6.6 Fig. 6.7 Fig. 6.8 Fig. 6.9 Fig. 6.10 Fig. 6.11 Fig. 6.12 Fig. 6.13 Fig. 6.14 Fig. 6.15 Fig. 7.1 View publication stats The anatomy of the letter ‘ayn (‫ )ع‬in nasta’lı̄q script. The rhomboid dot is being used as a unit of measurement in proportioning letters and words in Islamic calligraphy. (© M. Javad Khajavi) The function gamut. It emphasizes that in calligraphic animation it is possible to shift the function of calligraphic elements over time. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from an animation test by the author showing that the function of calligraphy can transform. At the beginning the emphasis is on semantic function. Then it gradually shifts toward the aesthetic function (Video 6.1). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Seyed Ghasem Hashemi, Creation (2008) (see Video 6.2). (Image courtesy of Ghasem Hashemi) Stills from an animation test conducted as part of this study. In this test, the function of calligraphy transforms through simple motion (kinetic behaviors) of the individual calligraphic forms, which is a form of Primary motion (see Video 6.3). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from an animation test. In this test, the function of calligraphy transforms through a change in color of individual calligraphic forms, which is a form of Primary motion (see Video 6.4). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Stills from Tongue of the Hidden (2006) by David Alexander Anderson. In this scene of the animation, the camera movement results in a shift in the function of calligraphy (see Video 6.5) Diagram illustrating changes in readability on the function gamut. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Technical set-up of The Passion of Love, 2016 (see Video 6.8). (© M. Javad Khajavi) The Passion of Love, 2016. The animated visuals projected onto the sculpture transform the function of calligraphic forms in the piece (see Video 6.8). (© M. Javad Khajavi) Diagram illustrating the transformation of the function of calligraphic forms in The Passion of Love, on the function gamut. (© M. Javad Khajavi) Summary of the categories of temporal behavior presented in this book. (© M. Javad Khajavi) 144 148 149 150 155 156 158 161 162 164 165 168