dutch avatars: woman’s hand

2011

In this installation the Dutch royal heraldic device 'Je Maintiendrai' (I will maintain) is written in a phonetic alphabet and in four different stenographic systems: Groote, Duployé, Aimé Paris and Calay. Stenography is a phonetic shorthand, and used to be taught mainly to women. There is a parallel with one of the writing systems from Japan: Hiragana. During the Heian period this writing system, also a phonetic script, was called 'onnade' or women's hand, as it was used mainly bij women, who were less educated than men, for writing literature. The four shorthand notations of 'Je Maintiendrai', executed in neon, resemble a luminous calligraphy.`
The word ‘avatar’ in the title of the installations shows that concepts from other cultures or religions are recycled in language too. From the reincarnation of the God Vishnu on earth (the original meaning of ‘avatar’ in Sanskrit) through the situation of someone who changes his opinion (in Dutch) and someone’s misfortunes (in French) to a digital manifestation of someone in the virtual world of the Internet. From an incarnated God to a pixel-related image; a divine metamorphosis.
The royal motto 'Je Maintiendrai', a legacy of William of Orange, is evidence of the ties the family of Orange-Nassau had with the principality of Orange and with France. Today, 'Je Maintiendrai' has become a linguistic logo in the communication of the Dutch governement with its citizens and in general, for the Netherlands abroad.