A, E, I, O, U

Publication accompanying the exhibition “New Works,” June 12–July 3, 2010

12-page booklet, 10.5 × 15.2 cm
Insert with German translations of the texts
Offset printing, cardboard cover
Edition of 100 copies, numbered

Out of print

In this twelve-page booklet, Matteo Terzaghi and Marco Zürcher’s artistic exploration of the form of encyclopedic knowledge—the most significant stage of which was the work See Keyword: Encyclopedia, commissioned by the Swiss National Library (2008)–is distilled into its most concise form. Here, the history of humanity is traced back to the five vowels of the Italian alphabet, particularly the first one, A, from which all others spring. The facial expressions correspond to the phonetic variations of the vowel system; the face gazes at us from the pages of this perfect little publication and perhaps speaks directly to us, perhaps addressing us specifically.

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