matthewhawkinsblog

In the infinitive – Whilst studying at the RCA in 2000, sitting on the library floor, flicking through the pages of Eye Magazine I first discovered Richard Hamilton's and Ecke Bonk's 1999 typotranslation of Marcel Duchamp's White Box: In the infinitive.

This book perfectly reflects Duchamp's practice by centralizing word and language in the process of image creation, image and word in reciprocating unity. At the time this relationship was central to personal practice and my own images could not manifest without first rigorous exploration of language.

However, it was this subtle publication that first introduced me to the world of typographic form and the possibility to communicate meaning with typography beyond the written content alone, – text not only as visual and aesthetic language but typographic form as a reflection of conceptual and personal thought.

Every small typographic detail exudes meaning. Variations of typeface, tone and colour can simulate changes in the writing medium; preserving the deletions and insertions reveals the development of ideas – even erratic spacing and punctuation can contribute to our understanding of the flow of thought.

To date In the infinitive has only been available in the 1999 first edition and with little promise of a second edition I had all but given up on the opportunity of purchasing this sublime printed work. That is until I recently managed to find a pristine original copy in the South London Gallery bookshop.