This week I stumbled across Asemic writing. This is something I have done a lot of before, I just didn’t know it had a name. I’m now hooked and intrigued!
Asemic writing is a form of free writing which is mostly illegible and tips over into the realm of art. It is a way of freeing ideas and thoughts from the subconscious and, although it isn’t legible as such, if you have written it, you will know what it says. It doesn’t matter if each word isn’t clear, the paragraph or section is its own pattern and will carry an essence of what it represents. A piece of asemic writing will hold an emotion, idea or suggestion which can be open to interpretation by the viewer.
The piece of writing will generate its own pattern, its unique form and shape which will still be interesting and enjoyable to look at, despite its lack of obvious comprehension. It has been described as drawing which resembles writing but avoids words. The viewer or reader chooses how the work will be interpreted, which, of course means that interpretations will vary widely from one viewer to another, which, in itself makes for some interesting conversations.
The concept of asemic writing goes back a long way. It is mostly attributed to Zhang Xu and Huaisu, buddhist monks from the Tang Dynasty. This was followed by the Hitsuzendō movement which is Japanese Zen calligraphy. Many creative individuals including Emily Dickinson, Man Ray, Cy Twombly and Wassily Kandinsky have all experimented with asemic writing. I have incorporated it into my artwork (as above) and used it to make notes, (below). There is an element of secret code about it, which is something I’ve always been interested in.
In the studio,