Beyond Word

The typeface used as a visual symbol. The art project “Beyond Word“, is dedicated to the doyen of  Czech visual poetry Bohumila Grögerová (1921—2014), and researches whether, and how, the visual poetry of the 1960s can be an  inspiration for the contemporary graphic designer.  

Seventy text photograms show the artistic reflection of selected passages from the late poetry collection of B. Grögerová’s Manuscript (2009). The book is a contrast between a vivid and fascinating mind and the deteriorating visual handicap of the poet, who wrote this poetry when she was almost blind. The inspiration for the visual reinterpretation of the work thus became the relationship between light and the material of the word. 

Over two years of visits to Bohumila Grögerová´s home, a series of documentary photos were taken and a lengthy interview was conducted with Bohumila Grögerová (which will be published by Akropolis publishing house in 2015).

The “Beyond Word” project was presented as a whole at the Dox Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague (30th May to 24th June 2013).

© 2014, design by Barbora Toman Tylová, text of the photograms Bohumila Grögerová (selected poems from the book Rukopis), retouching by Jiří Toman, animation by Petr Milošh, music by Pavla Nešverová, photography from the Dox exhibition Markéta Bendová, documentary photograps of the photogram by Filip Györe