The Korean Alphabet, Neo confucianism, and Complementing Opposites — Alice J.  Lee
Channel: TypeCon
Date: 2022-06-29

Recorded during TypeCon2016: Resound in Seattle, Washington

My thesis research topic began with a question: what is the relationship between literacy and power? More specifically, how can an alphabet free a people?

I studied the Korean alphabet and its historical context as well as the linguistic analysis of the spoken language. The Korean alphabet was designed in the 15th century, and the prevalent ideology of the time, Neo-Confucianism, inspired the structure and graphic forms of the new alphabet.

I designed a book for my thesis research document. In this project, I explored how aspects of the Neo-Confucian ideology could be given form within a print format.

In my thesis exhibition project, I honed in on one aspect of Neo-Confucianism: Complementing Opposites, (ying and yang). To better understand this concept of being both complementary and opposing, I conducted a series of experiments. The process began as an exploration of contradictory and harmonious dynamics and resulted in creating an experience of surprising juxtapositions of cultural symbols. Concepts explored include chaos vs order, analog vs digital, interconnectedness, and mindfulness.