Don't be DC! CUWTA!
Kathryn Adkins
We are living in an age of conbo, or conversational limbo, a state of multiple never ending conversations. Though our devices are enabled with predictive text, there is still an insatiable need for efficiency. This constant pressure to maintain multiple conversations simultaneously, without pause from active moments in our daily lives, perpetuates our need for reduced forms of language. This occurrence has brought about the use of repetitive language in condensed forms, which can allow for multiple interpretations dependent on context. We now communicate not with the intent of being explicit, but rather with a willingness to risk miscommunication, with the expectation that our readers will formulate connections on our behalf.
In an attempt to address this idea, I’ve created a book that uses a combination of predetermined acronyms and found imagery, to create narratives and connections that represent moments of discussion, within contemporary internet culture. Each of the 26 sections (one for each letter of the alphabet,) concentrates on acronyms beginning with that letter. This explores the repetition that is prominent within each group. Each section varies between telling a story, exploring formal relationships such as letter arrangements, or communicating with the support of images. Each indicate some form of narrative whether it be linear or seemingly nonsensical.
From here I will continue to deepen my understanding and exploration of the area between intent and ambiguity within communication, specially as our means of communication changes.