Alphabet street, 2006, still image from animation

Alphabet street, 2006, installation view, A to Z, (curated by Yoshitomo Nara), Hirosaki, Japan

Alphabet street

2006, animation, 1min 15s, mute

In Alphabet Street (2006), Hofstad Gunnes uses a traditional animation technique: 800 pencil drawings are employed to create a fluid motion of letters in constant transformation, with each drawing gradually turning into the next shape. The 16 mm films starts with an A and ends with a Z, as a traditional alphabet, but the letters in between are rearranged according to different order, determined by their actual shapes. The A turns into W, the W becomes N which becomes M. The M is transformed into an X, and the center of the X widens out to make an H etc. Creating a version of the alphabet where all the letters are developed out of the shape of the letter A, Hofstad Gunnes here turns the basic structure of language into visual play. 

Elisabeth Byre, Exhibition catalogue text for Animotion, Galleri F 15, 2007

Alphabet street
2006, animation, 1min 15s, mute