Lecture

26

Bio

Kate is based in the UK and has used her background as a graphic designer and academic as a vehicle to pursue her interest in the sculptural quality of letterforms, the dynamic of the printed page and, in turn, their relationship with formats and materials associated with contemporary book arts. The abstract and concrete qualities of letterform and the spaces created in between are at the heart of our ability to articulate emotions, ideas, hopes and fears... as well as direct us to the supermarket... and persuade us to buy! Kate is interested in the oppositional rhythms of letterform — the functional and the poetic. How can the 26 shapes that make up the Roman alphabet possess such transformative qualities? There is something simply wonderful about the curves of a lower case ‘g’. Its form has a grace and ease that transcends its utilitarian function of representing thought and sound. The turn of an ear, the sensual loop of a descender supports not only the identification of a shape but also a human need to connect and understand. How can the mechanical and mathematical calculations associated with readability and legibility also provide a profound connection with the viewer?