24 Polaroids (2006)

In the history of mankind , the emergence of the alphabet is one the most important innovations in the field of the writing systems. With a very limited set of letters (24 in the case of the Greek language), the alphabet is able to “register” the sound of (an unlimited number of) words and phrases. On the opposite side, with a great number of signs, ideograms are based on the-imaging of (an infinite number of) things. The origins of the Greek alphabet are recognized as Phoenician and the main contribution of ancient Greeks consists of inventing the vowels in their written version. This very “simple” novelty has opened up many new pathways and perspectives. One of them is the elaboration of the “Philosophy”, as a possible and specific approach of reality. The addition of the vowels (in their written form) has permitted the discourse to become more analytical and less hermeneutical, more rational and less inspired by meta-social references (e.g. God, deities, demons, etc.). My photographic work (24 Polaroids) mainly aims at the formal-figural-pictorial aspects of the Greek language's letters. We use letters everyday life order to transfer meanings, but my images are dedicated to celebrate the tremendous creativity embedded in the –collective and unconscious– letters design, during their history of (almost) four thousand years. That is to say, my photos treat the letters as cultural-esthetic entities and not as tools of communication.