FOR THE LOVE OF TYPE
colomboType #001 Saturday April 07th 2018
You don’t know what you missed on a rainy Saturday evening in Colombo, when a room full of type aficionados of all shapes and sizes gathered, united by their love for one thing… Type.
The first ever colomboType meeting hosted by Mooniak, was held at the Royal College Union Skills Centre on the 07th of April from 5pm to 8pm. Three whole hours of type related research and type experimentation was discussed by a dedicated lineup, which included type enthusiasts in the likes of Thrarique Azeez, Kosala Senevirathne, Pushpananda Ekanayake, and Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama.
Tharique and Pushpanada presented an eclectic set of exploration in their upcoming font design projects. It was a strong demonstration of the potential of Tamil and Sinhala font design, regardless of the limited font usage, the current creative industries have chosen to be stuck with for a few good decades. Both speakers ended their respective presentations in an ambitious and inspiring note that reminded us of the creative community, and about how exploration is what breathes life into creativity.
Kosala and Dr.Sumanthri, also known as ‘Type-detectives’ after their research presentations, covered topics such as ‘Typography of Sinhala Numerals’ and ‘The anatomy of Sinhala Typography’. Kosala’s paper took us to what looked like pre-historic times by showcasing the currently extinct set of Sinhala numerals. The ending note kept many of the audience pondering if, “There is a revival?”. Dr.Sumanthri’s paper followed up a similar yet intense topic that presented an anatomical analysis of Sinhala typography and how it can further enhance and educate in type design, which has sadly become quite neglected in Sri Lanka.
Why did this happen?
A pre-meeting that happened between the core collective team identified key Missions and Visions for the local community of type enthusiasts. Alain Parizeau, who chaired the first meeting along with Pathum Egodwatta, shared a conclusive objective of future collective meetings, as a platform;
to share common interests,
to share resources,
and to share awareness,
regarding Sri Lankan typography to help enhance growth of type knowledge and creation amongst our creative community.
In conclusion, For the love of type, don’t just read about the next meeting, be there.
Visit typography.lk/colombotype for more details on next event
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Written by Chani Perera
