Atmeno – I remember.

In order for the unique Samogitian dialect of Lithuanian language to be preserved and to thrive in the contemporary context, it is necessary that there is no shortage of digital fonts adapted to the dialect. Samogitian is mostly a spoken dialect and could be used more actively in written and digital culture. While researching my deep personal connection with the Samogitian dialect by reading, writing, speaking and listening, a display font dedicated to Samogitian was designed.

Samogitian is the only Lithuanian dialect in which macron (a diacritic symbol) is used. So I decided to base the whole font around it. Its horizontal direction was incorporated into the construction of the letterforms. Also exaggerated ink traps and serifs were added to form a distinctive character of the font Atmeno.

The font is complemented by an interactive installation, which invites the audience to experience the Samogitian dialect. Viewers can write Samogitian sentences by intuitively following a moving beam of light, thus drawing a letter after a letter. Samogitian words and unique grammar structures, that nowadays are forgotten by many, come to life. The viewers create a collective Samogitian typographic piece without the need to know the dialect. Here writing becomes an act of remembrance and preservation.

The installation consists of a metal structure with a transparent tabletop, a projector and a roll of paper. An animation loop is projected from underneath the table structure. The image falls on the surface of the tabletop which is covered with paper. Letterforms are traced by following the moving beams of light with a marker. Once the sentence is completed an empty section of paper can be rolled onto the table so the process can be continued.

The mission of preserving one’s language is a never ending process, it is a goal that can only be achieved by a community. One letter, one word at a time.