Work

chiShona reimagined

What if a language could design itself? An ongoing exploration into language, writing and cultural identity.

Client
Self-initiated research
Year
Ongoing
Discipline
Research, Type

chiShona reimagined is an ongoing exploration into language, writing and cultural identity.

chiShona reimagined, writing-system research

The question

What if a language could design itself? The project investigates how the sounds and structures of chiShona could become the foundation for a contemporary writing system.

The idea

It is part research. Part typography. Part cultural archaeology. Part speculation.

chiShona reimagined, study

The making

At its heart is a question:

What happens when we stop designing for African languages and start designing with them?

Related

See also Roto, the album artwork for Mbira Renaissance, where the title is rendered in Chimbire — a newly reimagined script inspired by the visual traditions and phonetic systems of the Shona language.