8 Feb 2010

Language Matters

Having submitted a slew of feeble outcomes earlier in this first year of my degree, I wasn't going to be publishing any of it. However, in completion of our latest assignment, I've decided to share.

Language Matters was a one-month project, aimed at promoting a dying or deceased language, in an attempt to stir up some cultural debate. I thought it would be interesting (and controversial) to look at Newspeak, of George Orwell's profound novel, Nineteen Eighty Four.

Newspeak is based on the concept that thought is dependent on words and therefore by reducing the amount of words in the dictionary, slowly over time, you would in effect eradicate contemplative thought altogether, thus rendering everyone subordinate. (I.e., without being able to 'think' a reason to be angry or unhappy, everyone would be united in blissful ignorance).

So, I created a campaign entitled The Newspeak Initiative, complete with logo, posters, censorship tape (used by guerilla campaigners, helping to delete words from our vocabulary), stickers and a series of photographs demonstrating their use.

Enjoy.
























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