The Written Word

Words. We use them without thinking. They flow from our keyboards and phones and fill our lives. Lately I have been wondering whether they have more or less impact on us than they did in earlier times when lives were not as bombarded with them.

Several years ago I went to see an Illuminated Manuscripts exhibit at the National Gallery. I stood in a long queue behind at least a hundred people waiting for my turn to gaze for a couple of minutes upon a few pages in the Book of Kells. It was more than worth it. The detail and the care that went into each letter of each word, and all the embellishment represented hours and hours of painstaking commitment to the communication of the gospels. Very few words were seen in those days, and it seemed that it made the written word all the more powerful...and beautiful.



This is just a small taste of the treatment of the basic text. This liturgical book of the Gospels from around 800 also contained exquisite gold leaf illustrations of the most vibrant colours and intricate Celtic design. Truly a masterpiece of artistic expression and communication.

Fast forward to today and our wonderful world of electronic and social media. Words are everywhere. We filter them constantly. Are we at risk of loosing the ability to communicate succinctly when we have so much to say and to hear and to read?

I hope not.

My sister once commented as we were browsing in a kitschy shop that she preferred images to hang on her walls, whereas I was always drawn to quotations. I had not realised until then that words were that much more important to me. Below is a photo of a corner of my home. On display are two of the most meaningful quotes in my life. The crosstitch was made in tribute to my first child, lost in miscarriage. It was the verse I read on the morning of that loss, before any sign of trouble presented. As I stitched the words, they were able to take root in me, and I believe their impact assisted my grieving toward acceptance and deeper faith and trust.

In the smaller frame is a verse by Goethe. It propelled me to succeed in establishing my direct sales business. There were many times that looking upon these words and thinking about them re-focussed flagging spirits and motivated me to do what was necessary. I found the beautiful word art when visiting the shop gallery of Dave Wood, a calligrapher/illustrator, who at the time lived on the South Coast in Australia.




We had stopped by Dave's gallery while on holiday and I soon found myself talking with him. When he discovered I was a graphic artist he invited me into his studio and my family and I were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at some of his works-in-progress and a peek at some of his paper art experiments. Today I googled him to see if he had an internet presence and found his blog and a lovely video of him at work. Do take a look.

While on YouTube I also found this real-time video of a calligrapher writing the word Gothic. If you have seven minutes you may want to watch it too. Maybe you will wonder, like I did, if you would have the patience to create such beautiful words. I would certainly choose my words more carefully if each letter took such effort to generate.

Which brings me back to my original thought. When we labour over our words, do we communicate better? Are they more meaningful? Or is our world of immediate and abundant information (and drivel) better serving us.