Animating with the Primordial Pen

Abstract

Calligraphic animations are contemporary expressions of the Islamic visual culture. Letters, words, and other calligraphic elements featured in these animations are charged with extra-linguistic connotations, holding esoteric meanings that are originally rooted in Gnostic and Sufi interpretations. In these animations, letters, words and calligraphic elements are not simply linguistic signs but hold culturally coded-meanings that need to be interpreted. The essay studies two short calligraphic animations, Creation (2008) by Ghasem Hashemi and the award-winning Amentü Gemisi Nasil Yürüdü (1970) by Tonguç Yaşar, with regard to their use of mystic symbolism and gnostic metaphoric language. The author argues that calligraphic animations like these make meanings through interactions between various levels of signification, which include visual qualities of calligraphy, semantic content, and extra-linguistic connotations rooted in Islamic mysticism. The author also introduces his artistic creation, The Third Script (2017), educating the reader about the deeper meanings of the calligraphic elements presented and the symbolism they behold.