Dear Language (Master Thesis)
One can lead a perfectly good life without questioning language and the picture of the universe it constructs. Even when pausing to question the nature of our language, we are immediately confronted with the innate paradox of doing so. Questioning systems implies the possibility of external reflection on the notion of choice, but with language this is not the case. The words, sounds, visuals, gestures, and symbols used to build our reality, are involuntarily handed to us since birth. Language is the most versatile system at the disposal of mankind, but its unrivalled dominance as a tool for reflection and thought makes it questionable only by its own means, merely from within.
My explorations of language are documented in a series of letters to humans and existence. They took me to the limits of what my language allows me to imagine and express. They report on my encounters with the endless possibilities of language, alongside its many paradoxes and limitations. Aiming to broaden my own understanding of language and reality, I came to the realization that this very language is the reason why I have a perception of reality to begin with. I was left wondering whether language merely deciphers the universe or is it constructed out of language? If language is our only tool to make sense of the universe, how does it shape our understanding of it?
This thesis book was published as part of my master studies at Design Academy Eindhoven and is nominated for the Gijs Bakker Award.
