Research presentation outlining a proposed direction for studio brief 02:
Starting with communication as a general theme for this project, I wanted to explore further how communication has evolved and adapted through generations - how different social groups communicate and how communication has evolved. Within this broad theme there were several possibilities that could be explored.
Looking generally at different types of communication and language, one area of interest was the existence of local dialect, and how language varies from community to community. Further research into the many different colloquial languages that exist revealed a range of unique options, including Polari, a slang language used in Britain by some actors, circus and fairground showmen, merchant navy sailors, criminals, prostitutes, and the gay subculture. Beyond this there are also many different languages that have appeared through the evolution of technology. One such example is Leet, sometimes written 1337, which is An alternative alphabet used primarily on the internet which uses some characters to replace others, for example using numbers in the place of letters. Another examples is emojis, which can be defined as a range of symbols in a variety of genres used to express emotions and sentiments in electronic messages and webpages.
Of these possibilities, the form of communication that interested me the most was local dialect, and particularly dialects that are specific to the North, such as Geordie, Mackem, Scouse, Teeside and Cumbrian. A dialect that is also highly unique to Northern culture is Pitmatic, which is q dialect developed from the specialised terms used by mineworkers in the pits. Researching briefly into Northern languages revealed a range of interesting uses and origins, and many of the traditionally Northern words have roots with Danish and Norwegian words.
When looking into existing creative projects that revolve around or use local dialect language, a similar graphical response to this topic is a project called Local Characters by a designer and illustrator called Jimmy Turrell. Turrell created a bespoke typeface influenced by the architecture of the famous Byker Wall housing estate in Byker, Newcastle. He used the shapes and colours as a basis of each letterform to represent one of the most recognisable local Northern communities, and then created a series of typographical works to reflect the local language.
From my exploration into my chosen topic, possible ideas for physical deliverables could include a poster or print series, or publication, depicting key Northern words or phrases, their definitions and their origins. The aim of the project could be to preserve these unique language so that they may be more accessible to younger generations all over the country.
After formally presenting this research to a tutor and peer critique group, there was positive feedback towards the idea. Simon Jones gave feedback that indicated that the focus of the project should maybe not be on the preservation of northern languages, as preservation has the tendency to decontextualise the content and make it seem artificial. He also mentioned exploring a series of cartoons that were produced around Newcastle and Sunderland that specifically communicated situations and humour using local languages.