Atmeno
Description
Samogitian is a Lithuanian dialect spoken by around 500 000 native speakers. It’s passed down generations mostly by speaking, but not by written word. In fact many samogitians don’t know the proper grammar of their dialect. To raise awareness and encourage the use of Samogitian in written culture I designed a font dedicated to and inspired by my deep connection to Samogitian.
Samogitian is the only Lithuanian dialect in which the macron is used. So I decided to base the whole font around it. Its horizontal direction was incorporated into the letterforms, also exaggerated ink traps and serifs were added to form the distinctive character of Atmeno.
The font is complemented by an interactive installation, which invites the audience to experience the Samogitian dialect. Viewers can write Samogitian sentences by intuitively following a moving beam of light, thus drawing a letter after a letter. Samogitian words and unique grammar structures come to life. The viewers create a collective Samogitian typographic piece without the need to know the dialect.
The installation consists of a metal structure with a transparent tabletop, a projector and a roll of paper. An animation loop is projected from underneath the table structure. The image falls on the surface of the tabletop which is covered with paper. Letterforms are traced by following the moving beams of light with a marker. Once the sentence is completed an empty section of paper can be rolled onto the table so the process can be continued.
The installation was shown in 3 exhibitions which resulted in around 600 Samogitian words written on paper. This project has proven that the mission of preserving one's language is a never ending process, it is a goal that can only be achieved by a community. One word, one letter at a time.
