Tradition Meets Innovation
As the basis for his bachelor's degree project at the ECAL, Jan Abellan chose the woodcutting method used in the traditional timber joinery architecture of the Val Lumnezia in Graubünden. From it, he developed a typeface specially tailored to contemporary alpine architecture.
In his first experiments with wood, the young graphic artist used the original tools - a chisel and a hammer. Whilst the shapes of the individual letters are derived from the traditional woodcutting process, what they reflect above all is the rough mountain climate. The result is a typeface that intrudes into the three-dimensional world. Changes in the light alter the letters, exposing their whole form. The letters change with the weather and the time of day.
Jan Abellan's field of experimentation is the creation of letters that, rather than being defined purely by their line thickness and serif, can respond to the world around them. With the help of a digital 3D program, he has developed a mobile system of lettering that permits letters to be set into concrete façades. In the traditional woodcutting method, the thickness of the line depends on the depth of the cut; here, the breadth of the shadow, which affects the legibility of the letter, varies depending on the degree of recess. With an inspired mixture of innovation and tradition, Jan Abellan has brought a difficult and startling experiment to a successful conclusion. We look forward to seeing his inscriptions used in Val Lumnezia.