Juli Gudehus

“Icon Spell – boosting a global visual language by collaborative intelligence”

The concept of communicating through a universal visual language using pictograms, logos, emojis, and symbols is an intriguing one that I pursued as a student, translating the biblical creation story into these modern hieroglyphics. This idea has been independently explored by others globally, like Xu Bing with his "Book from the Ground" and Cesco Reale’s KOMUNIKON project.

Historically, symbol-based communication systems like Egyptian hieroglyphs have existed since early human history. Despite past failures in establishing a universal pictographic language, the digital age presents unprecedented opportunities. With the widespread use of icons via computers and the internet, there’s potential for a globally understood visual language, especially as cultural and linguistic divisions deepen worldwide.

The "Icon spell" project aims to merge contemporary popular language with visual symbols from various cultures, encouraging global participation in creating a "visual vocabulary." By discussing and refining these symbols collaboratively, the project seeks to develop a self-sustaining, organic communication system. While outcomes are uncertain, exploring this visual language could significantly impact future communication.

Biography
Comparing apples and oranges is her daily bread. Juli draws attention, creates confusion, and designs approaches. She sees and establishes connections between phenomenons, people, and things. She wonders and interprets, disassembles and combines, transforms and invents, learns and teaches. Language and everyday culture are rich sources for her various collections as well as for her work. She loves to make people smile because she finds it makes them beautiful.