Gestures In Ink

Concept.

Introduction

Historically, Buddhist sutras were chanted, embodying rhythm, breath, and spiritual resonance. This emphasis on the auditory experience shaped not only Buddhist practice but also the visual representation of sutras. Sutra copying emerged as a meditative ritual. Each brushstroke embodied mindfulness, with the flow of ink mirroring the cadence of recitation.

In contemporary times, texts are presented in standardised Chinese typefaces like Kaiti, and English translations that focus on self-help themes. This shows how they have been reduced to static text through over-intellectualization.

This project reclaims writing as ritual—one rooted in the body, rhythm, and emotion—while experimenting with how modern tools like AI and motion tracking can evoke this timeless spirit in a contemporary language.

Key Concepts

Asemic Writing

Graphical Notation--George Crumb, Spiral Galaxy (1972)

Graphical Notation--traditional music notation (left) and graphic music notation (right)

Asemic writing is a form of visual expression that resembles writing but holds no fixed linguistic meaning. It gestures toward language, but invites viewers to experience rather than decode.

Graphical notation, often used in avant-garde music, is a way of visually representing sound, emotion, or rhythm—liberating scores from standardized notation.

In this project, asemic writing becomes a spiritual script, and graphical notation becomes the visual body of sound—together forming a non-literal, emotional language that reflects the chanting rhythms and gestural roots of Buddhist scripture.