Restricted Frequency #171
I’ve been inventing language.
Not really, just new writing systems. New alphabets for projects that call for it (a sample of which you can see on the right-hand side of the image above). Working on my 3rd alphabet to date actually! The first started for a single panel on a single page in THE SOLAR GRID, Ch. 5 (which will be #6 in the Radix Media print editions), but one that I’ll be using more of in subsequent chapters. That one is the simplest out of the lot because I never developed any cursive variations for the glyphs unlike the latter two. It may seem like gibberish; like assigning random shapes to replace existing letters, but it’s actually far more complex than that. Because just like the actual letterforms associated with all the written languages we know of today, they have their beginnings in representational hieroglyphs. So they essentially start out as miniature drawings of real things in the world (based on a certain logic), and then you simplify those drawings into “icons”, which are further simplified into glyphs which are then simplified into quick basic strokes and you keep abstracting them more and more until they’re as far removed from the original objects they were meant to represent. All while keeping the forms of the entire alphabet all within the same “DNA” so to speak.
So, if anyone wants a tattoo design made up of alien script that no one could possibly read or understand? I got you.
Off to New York towards the end of the month which will be my first time since… Gods, January 2020? Over a year! But, not that crazy considering it was year of global doom and collapse. I’ve maintained a NY storage space filled with art and paintings and things because my exhibition opportunities would often be in New York and it just made more sense to have things stored there instead of my having to ship them back and forth all the time. Especially with the number of times I’ve had to move house in the past 6-7 years. But, 2020 seems to have changed that and now I’m not so sure about paying for storage in such an expensive city anymore. So I’m off to clear out my storage space and ship all my art things back to Houston to give myself spatial issues to deal with at home for the next couple of months. 🙃
But while I’m out there…
I’ll be doing a signing!
At Desert Island in Brooklyn!
July 29, 6-8 PM!
Can you tell I’m excited? I’M EXCITED!
I mean this is certainly not the first public appearance I’ve ever done, but it’s my first ever comicbook signing! At a comicbook store! This is wholly special because it scratches one of the earliest itches I’ve ever had in this here earthly existence. As awesome as exhibiting in galleries and museums is, it’s not quite what 6-year-old me had in mind for grown-up me. Six year old me didn’t even know what a museum was (unlike my kid who’s been to a few already despite not even being a full year old yet—that however, changes tomorrow!), but what 6-year-old me did know was comicbooks, and he knew he wanted to make them and have people read ‘em.
(With that said, I have to point out that THE SOLAR GRID is so not for kids. More often than not I hear from someone expressing their excitement to snag a copy for their kid, which makes me realize this disclaimer cannot be overstated.)
THE SOLAR GRID #4 drops in print next week! Which I suspect will be the issue we’ll be celebrating at Desert Island, but obviously I’ma be more than happy to sign any issue.
If you’re reading this and you’re in New York on July 29, I would absolutely love it if you stopped by. It would mean the world to me, you have no idea. A “digital flyer” can be found at Ganzeer.Today. I would absolutely appreciate anyone using it to spread the word across their networks.
Inks on Chapter 6 (issue #7) are coming along at a rate of about 2-3 pages a week while I juggle a couple of other projects I’m not entirely sure I’m at liberty to speak about just yet. But I’m really happy with the results of all the things I’m working on, which is such a great feeling (and one that is, believe it or not, incredibly rare).
Also, the BBC recently had me recall a few memories I prefer not to revisit much anymore.
Thanks for inviting me into your inbox.
Much love,
Ganzeer
Houston, TX