Rad Hourani's "WRITING SYSTEMS" series explores the intricacies of written language, delving into how, nativist though they may seem, writing systems are learned and acquired practices. Each year, new dictionary additions reflect evolving definitions and distinct situations in time, underscoring that these attributions are products not of nature but of nurture. Society often defers to authority through syntax and lexicon, treating traditionally educated individuals with respect and praise while overlooking those who do not echo a similarly literate proficiency. Rooted in Rad's experience as a neurodivergent artist with writing and reading difficulties, this body of work opens a dialogue on invisible disabilities and the divisive issues of written language, questioning how linguistics might better facilitate our synthetic languages to be accessible to all.

Rad investigates how text creates social divisions, noting that a national language comprises a writing system perceived as an identity from which self-separation is born. The use of nouns divides through feminine or masculine applications, and certain adjectives exert negative impacts on the mind due to their learned meanings. Although numbers are gender-neutral, their use as indicators of age and class can reflect inequality. As vocabularies are inventions of specific individuals that categorize people, particularly through physical characteristics, Rad asks: Is it possible to neutralize semantics by challenging the norms and binary conceptions within language?

By detaching elements that make up phrases and illustrating paragraphs, Rad has created laser-cut PVC sculptures depicting letters, digits, and signs in different typographies. These amalgamations resemble pages from a book or classroom blackboards, with forms and textures accessible by touch for the blind or visually impaired. Rad highlights the vast interpretative possibilities beyond the mainstream narrative, advocating for an unbiased, flexible language that fosters inclusive communication.

This sculptural series of uncommon patterns and rotations in various fonts proposes alternative concepts of words, sentence structures, verb conjugations, pronoun declensions, and uses of punctuation marks or letter cases. Reflecting on the structural rules of grammar, Rad emphasizes that it falls not only to linguists to establish terminology but to each of us, regardless of academic and literary skills. Rad Hourani’s artworks suggest a nuanced understanding of self, transcending the categorizations implicit in language, age, gender, or socioeconomic status.

© RAD HOURANI

All rights reserved. No part of any information, images, or artwork located within this site may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted without the permission of the copyright owner.