The more a language is used, the more comprehensible and lively it becomes. It requires people from different sociotopes, professions, generations, religions and cultures. This is the basis of the tuqtuli project, in which as many different people as possible work collectively on a new visual way to communicate globally – as creators and testers of visual vocabulary and pictograms.
All early cultures communicated by strings of signs. Of these, the Egyptian hieroglyphs may be best known. Until today pictograms have the potential to bring us closer together, because they belong to the immaterial cultural heritage of all peoples and times. Not only has communication via icons a long history but it may have a lot to look forward to in the future.
Today, we live in a visual age. Contemporary hieroglyphics – pictograms, logos, emojis, icons and symbols – enjoy great popularity. Around the globe, people of all ages, professions and sociotopes are familiar with their appropriation, reinterpretation and play. Tuqtuli relies on the fundamental ability of everyone to express themselves artistically and to communicate. So the ground is prepared.
Participants of each iconversation are lining up signs like words to form visual sentences. Doing so they much rely on their associative mind and intuition. Everyone who can hold a pen can tuqtuli.
Whatever has to do with daily practical issues involving objects and actions – eating, sleeping, et cetera – can be clarified relatively quickly. Topics that not everyone is familiar with and abstract ideas – medication, time, et cetera – are somewhat more challenging to address. However, this is feasible as well. With this ‘auxiliary language,’ philosophical discussions and completing tax returns are rather unlikely. Instead, there will storytelling, books in tuqtuli, and games based on the tuqtuli principle.
The tuqtuli project is about getting familiar and sharing experiences with this way of communicating. It is about elaborating basic principles and a pool of visual vocabulary together. Fortunately, we have a head start here:
Signs are part of our everyday lives. Many are well known in large parts of the world. Myriads of signs are most likely to be found in the imaginary visual dictionaries that people worldwide have in their minds in a variety of versions. Many more signs are rooted in the individual professions, ages, cultures, et cetera. In addition to these innumerable signs need to be invented for abstract terms like »courage« or »yesterday« that do not yet exist. Getting across and understanding their meaning in the course of a tuqtuli dialogue requires cooperation. Here, the content of the pictograms is significantly more important than how well they are drawn.
Experience and a basic understanding will help but are not required. Moreover, every new encounter brings something new into play. The key to success of each dialogue is the willingness of both sides to understand each other.
The key to success of the tuqtuli project will be its playfulness as playing is fundamentally human, regardless of age, convictions, social or cultural backgrounds.