18 planet of the arts / december 1997 CULTURAL DIALECTICS Be Ste i os «continued from page 17 The organic elements of the composition — the oak bow with acorns and the stalks of wheat — are also rendered in a highly stylized or patterned format, but in this case the line quality is circular. The mediating element between the strong linear components in the upper portion of the composition (the stars, the rays of light, the bars on the flag) and the circular or arabesque components at the bottom of the composition is a male figure. This figure seems to be depicted as having the fairly tall and slim-waisted stature by which Latvians differentiate themselves from their shorter and more stout Slavic neighbours. : Ironically, despite the revulsion Latvians would have felt at the reinterpretation of their Freedom and Solidarity monument along the lines of Bolshevik ideology, the fluid meaning of the 5-pointed star likely is what saved the monument from being torn down by the conqueror’s regime." The next specimen I would like to examine is the cover to a pre-World War Two Latvian manual on weaving (figure 2) that once belonged to by grandmother and was subsequently inherited by my mother. This book cover incor- porates the book title, the author’s name, the year of Publication (1931), and the representation of some woven patterns on a grid formed by the vertical and horizontal threads of loom-woven fabric. The format for the lettering and num- bering carries the connotation that literary (and numerary) culture has its basis in the visual and material culture of traditional rustic practices such as weaving. Robert Bringhurst alludes to this point when he comments, “The typesetting device, whether it happens to be a computer or a com- posing stick, functions like a loom. And the typographer, like the scribe, normally aims to weave the text as evenly as possible. Good letter forms are designed to give a lively, even texture, but careless spacing of letters, lines and words can tear this fabric apart” The designer of the book cover under discussion here celebrates the vertical-horizontal grid of loom-woven clothe by revealing it through such culturally important symbols as the cross (the crucifix of Christianity) and, as seen above, the 8-pointed star (which recip- rocally invokes the crucifix and locates it within the traditional rural domestic practice of weaving). The inhibiting limitations on lettering imposed by the loom weaver’s grid turn up in this book designer’s treatment of the letter A, which is clipped on its upper left in order to differentiate it from the letter R. Elsewhere in this cover design, the viewer’s eye verges on per- ceiving the illusion of curves suggested within repeating, mirrored diagonals; these elements seem to be representative of grain, i-e., an organic subject which bends to the effects of gravity. In the use of stepped gradations that imply the curve associated with the counter of the letter A, we have a clear demonstration of the restricted mark making possibilities available within the mechanical realities of the loom. More importantly, however, we have a reference outside the activity and equipment of weaving to mark making that allows for smoothly graduated curves. In this act of external refer- encing between the mark making of the loom and mark making more in general, we have evidence of the activity of memory inter- acting with the broader history of its host culture. The third specimen I would like to examine is a frontispiece (fig- ure 3) from a compilation of poetic verse published in 1946. The text was circulated to Latvians inhabiting refugee camps in the western occupation zone in Germany at the conclusion of the war. The fairly crude hand-lettering reflects the impoverished conditions of design and production for the book. The light and dark elements evoke the woodcut aesthetic discussed above, but the irregularities of the line quality strongly suggest that the image was composed with pen on paper. The lettering is fairly bold (although much of it is simply an outline), all upper case, and every letter except the letter I includes modulated strokes. The.axis is vertical. This contrasts with the diag- onal elements represented in the general composition, including a series of tilted 8-point stars that seem to function here as flowers in a sunny meadow. The cross-bars of the letter A and the letter E as well as the foot of the letter R are given extra extension and mild curvature; these fea- tures seem to be related to the ponderous counters on the A and the R (and the implicitly shortened x-height). A degree of solidity and confidence is asserted through the proportions of the letters but these The letter forms are a covert celebration and grieving of national identity. qualities are diminished or withdrawn altogether by the reversion to an outline format over a considerable segment of the lettering. The aspect of confidence is pushed in the direction of whimsy via the idiosyncratic features of the R, A and E that were noted above; this whimsy is at odds with the heavy weighting typical of bold uppercase lettering. This contrast seems connected to the search for solace by readers of the text within the generally sombre, dull, limbo-like setting of the D.P. camps. The international community was slow to open its doors to hundreds of thousands of post-war refugees until 1949, when accepting refugees became a gesture to score propaganda points in a world polarized by the Cold War. The assertion of strength (and bravado) in the lettering in figure 3 is a defensive emotional strategy in the face of the tremendous, indefinite personal and collective uncertainties faced by Latvian refugees as they waited for foreign gov- ernment authorities to decide their fate. Latvian cultural tradition, which we have seen represented by the strict vertical-horizontal grid of the handloom weaver, lilts to one side in figure 3 as if it has been decisively weakened: the for- ward trajectory of Latvian iden- tity as a cultural entity, like the individual lives of Latvian refugees, has been cut from its moorings and cast adrift. In this context, the prospect looms large that the cultural past will lose its scope and nuance. Memory is afflicted, after all, with the simplifying survival mechanisms of denial, forgetfulness and wishful invention. Typography as a Repository for Subversive Hopes The final specimens (figure 4 and 5) which I would like to include in this typographic exercise date from the depths of post-war Soviet repression (1958) in the nation steadily being made-over into the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. The most prominent feature of the primary display type in these specimens is the splitting of the central stroke in each letter. Other important features are the extra extension on the cross bars of the A and the E, and the terminals and swashes (mostly linear in nature, but often with curving tips) that appear on the majority of the letters. The splitting of the central stroke sets up a tripartite division that evokes the structure of a monochromatically rendered Latvian flag. The central strokes tend to be more parallel to the vertical axis than to the horizontal axis — this would give enough visual information to the Latvian patriot to recognize the assertion of nationalist meaning; at the same time there would be enough of a difference from the exact format of the actual (banned) flag to provide grounds for firm dis- avowal of politically transgressive intent by the typographic designer in case objections were raised by a suspicious Soviet censor. The overall effect is the covert celebration but also the grieving of Latvian nationality — the splitting of the letter stroke is a signifier of fractured strength and not just of national identity. As long as a peo- ple’s feelings of collective grievance remain strong, nationalist aspira- eee eS Hea Weaving manual book cover (fig. 2) tions have a place of shelter. In the face of daily intimidation and repression, this sheltering remains understated in order to be elusive to the authorities. The display typography in figure 4 demonstrates how letter forms can be employed as a repository of dissident nation- alist political sentiment and memory in the face of Stalinism. The splitting of letter strokes in figure 4 also gives these letter forms a slenderness. The structure of this alphabet combines a high cap height with a diminished x-height. The elongation that results from this combination of characteristics produces a letter form that contrasts with the squarer letters of the Russian cyrillic alphabet that came into common use in common use in Latvia after 1945 (figure 6). We are reminded of the stereotype of the tall, slender Latvian in comparison to her/his shorter and more heavy-set Russian counter- part. This comparison became more and more topical as increasing numbers of Russians relocated to Latvia after 1945 as members of the apparatus of Stalinist economic, social and military occupation. By 1989, the immigré Russian component constituted close to forty per- cent of Latvia’s population. The extensions and terminals in the alphabet used in figure 4 have the effect of moderating the elongated structure of the letter forms by adding what can seem to be innocuous designerly width and weight to individual letters. But it would be wrong to judge these extensions and terminal as simply innocuous — these features necessitate addi- tional kerning; this kerning more closely approximates the letter spacing employed by the occupying authorities and the settler popu- lation in their use of cyrillic lettering. The similarity in the kerning between the alphabet of the occupier and the alphabet of the colo- nized population gives an assimilationist and safe appearance to politically transgressive, and therefore risky, typographic intentions. In figure 5 we see that the five-point format of the Soviet star has been adopted in place of the traditional Latvian 8-point format, but in contrast to its singular use and geometric format on the Soviet flag, here the points are lyrical in their irregularity and therefore purpose- fully lackadaisical in their reference to the occupier’s sign system. While more stars are depicted than the Latvian patriotic standard (three stars arranged in a triangle), their multiplicity and placement in proximity to the split-stroke signifier of the Latvian flag remains evocative of the Freedom and Solidarity monument. In combination with the stars, the elongated gap formed by splitting the letter stroke actually replicates the physical structure of the monument. In this way, it invokes the political hope of freedom from totalitarian social- ism, a hope transmitted by the combination of subversive letter forms and typographic symbols. The items we have examined include images of people and land- scapes, representations of traditional practices and symbols, and specimens of lettering both in combination with images and as text only. What our discussion points to is that these sources draw upon each other in a way that indicates letter forms derive from cultural processes; these processes mediate between social aspirations and his- torical events. The connecting link between particular letter forms and broader historical forces is the individual agency of a typograph- er. The typographer’s agency, in turn, is not simply a matter of the physics of eye sight or the mechanical gestures that inscribe lines on a page. The typographer’s actions reference experiences (and thus trigger responses and activate memories) held in common with countless others. Typography is a cultural practice that links back to collective experiences and projects these experiences forward. It reflects and inserts itself among the things that constitute and re-constitute a cul- ture: the diverse — and often contradictory — accumulation of shared successes, collective defeats, mutual hopes, and the tasks of coping with the possibilities and constraints of daily living. All of which just says that, like the personal, on a number of fun- damental levels the typographical is political. Ol Endnotes 1. See for example A. Svabe et al. Latvia on the Baltic Sea (DP Camp Hanau, Frankfurt a/M, Germany, UNNRA ‘Team 27 — Gaismas Pils, 1947), p.36. 2. The Elements of ‘lypographic Style, Second Edition (Point Roberts, Washington, Hartley and Marks, 1996), p.25. ste, ks audzisim, ka to lai daram, Ka visus desmit saskaitit varam. Viens, divi, tris —- Tie citi bis driz. Split-stroke letter with stars (fig. 5) fia, Haw Bek — Bek nyrewecrsuK. 3arnaHn YBHAKUWb 3HaMeHaTeNbHy!0 KapTHHy: CKONbKO MOX%KHO MpPOeXaTh ACCATKH, COTHH, ThICAYH KKN A He npotus aBTomMawnH, He NpoTHB Hawero OH Npegoctasnset. Ha 3tToT pas MHe NpocTo The occupier’s cyrillic text (fig. 6) 18 planet of the arts / december 1997 CULTURAL DIALECTICS The organic cements of the composition ~ the oak bow with acorns and the stalk of wheat = are also rendered in highly stylized for patterned format, but in this case the inequality i crea. The mediating clement between the stong linear components in the "upper portion ofthe composition the tars, the rays light, the bars the bottom co the fag) the composition sa mle figure. This figure sems tobe depicted as having the fil tall and lim-wased stature by which Latvians sliferentiatethemssves from their shorter and more stout Slavic neighbours Ironically, despite the revulsion Latvians would have felt at the ul Solidarity monument slong the lines of Bolshevik ideology, the Aud meaning of the 5-pointed reinterpretation of their Freedom a star likely is what saved the monument from being torn down by the conqueror’ regime The next specimen I would ike to examine isthe cover to a pre-World War Two Latvian manual on weaving (Figure 2) tha once belonged toby grandmother and was subsequently inherited by my ‘mother. This book cover incor Porates the book itl, the author's name, the year of Publication (1931), and the representation of some woven paterson a grid formed by the vertical and horizontal threads of loom-woven fabric. The format for the letting and num bering carries the connotation that literary (and numerary) clare has its basis i the visual and material culture of traditional rustic practices such a weaving Robert Brnghurst alludes to this point when he comment, "The ‘ypesetng device, whether it happens to be a computer oa com posing stick, functions lke a loom. And the ypographer, ke the serie, normally aims to weave the text as evenly as possible, God leter forms ate designed to give lively, even texture, ut carcess spacing of eter ines and words can ter this fabric apart The designer of the book over nde dscusion here celebrates the vertial-horizontal grid of loom-woven clothe by revealing it through such culturally important symbol asthe cos (the eri ‘of Christianity) and, a seen above, the pointed sta (which recip: rocally invokes the crucifix and locates it within the tational ural domestic practice of weaving). The inhibiting limitations on leering imposed by the loom weaver’ rid turn up in this book designe’ treatment of he eter ‘which is lipped on its upper leftin order to diferente it fom the Jeter R Eheherein his cover design the viewer's ee verges on pe: ctiving the illsion of curves suggested within repeating, mierored