Is Handwriting Still Alive?



This art project called Ecriture Infinie (Infinite Writing) by artist Bili Bidjocka and curated Simon Njami is one of the most brilliant things I've seen in a while. Bili is compiling these massive gigantic notebooks (8 of them) full of people's handwritten words all around the world. His idea is to create a universal piece of literature that brings people together, his purpose being the process.


Any ideas to what you would jot down? I would really have to put some though into it, especially since Bili wants people to write as if it were their last words. This idea inspires me in many ways, first off I am intrigued about handwriting styles around the world in general, (it is the graphic designer in me) but also people's inner dialog and where they place their values. It also inspires me to restart a handwritten journal opposed to my computerized one.



Thoughts? When is the last time you did something handwritten? Is handwriting still alive?



(via cool hunting // Photos from Ecriture Infinie )

25 comments:

Julie said...

well last night, writing letters to penpals:-) Love handwritten notes and letters. More personal.

FanFamFun said...

this is a really nice project :) my handwriting has good days and bad days, i do need to work on it. x

classiq said...

A fantastic project! I use handwriting every day, I always carry a notebook with me and I can't stand any electronic organizers. Handwriting, calligraphy to be more exact is a great passion of mine.
Ada

Emily said...

My son's handwriting is so awful. I thought by second grade it would start improving but even with extra help this summer, it is not any better. His kindergarten teacher actually said by 5th grade it wouldn't matter because they use computers almost exclusively by then. I was like "Whaaaa? Handwriting matters!" I love handwritten notes. I have a hand written journal and I write letters/thank you notes/calendar with my own hand. I think it's important!

Erin said...

I'm big on handwriting notes and cards. And there are some ways that I just can't think on computer. I almost always make research notes and post-its with good old ink and pen. What would I write for this project? Maybe something encouraging like "Everything works out for the best in the end."

Manding. said...

wow. wow this idea is seriously making me want to weep. i love how there are so many penmanship advocates out there !

ps, http://amandamantes.blogspot.com !

Kristen said...

I love this post. I too fear for the future of handwriting, but think it is such a wonderful thing. I have been dating my boyfriend for 3 years now and recently he wrote me a handwritten letter. The fact that it was handwritten and sent via "snail mail" made it mean so much more than an email would have.

I, too, keep a handwritten journal and prefer to organize my life in handwritten lists. I can't stand the organizers on my phone...there's just this sense of satisfaction when you get to physically cross something off of the list that you can't get from an app.

Andrea @ Strawberry Chic said...

I definitely think handwriting is still alive! I think we can all agree that a handwritten letter or card is so much more meaningful then an e-mail or text message...plus they are just funner to receive! I love the concept of the project you posted, although I have no idea what I would write!

KB {Tragic and Lovely} said...

I make scrapbooks and I handwrite in them all the time - handwriting is so much more special than typing.

O B S E S S I V I S I O N said...

In this fast paced, technological society, I find myself gravitating towards old fashion alternatives. My father still owns a typewriter :)
www.obsessivision.com

Lily said...

I love handwriting notes and letters to friends. It's such a treat to receive them in the mail.

Shoe.Gal said...

This is great! I hate my writing but still keep a notebook.

Anne Marza said...

I still hand write! lol but It's more like a mix of print and cursive :S
http://vintageandcloset.blogspot.com/

Jennifer said...

The only thing I routinely hand-write is grocery lists and writing dates & initials on things at work.

Even so, I was appalled when I heard that they're going to stop teaching cursive in school!

I did enjoy some old-fashioned hand-written letters while my honey was in boot camp- no internet or phone makes snail mail your only option! It was fun to get pretty stationery and really take the time to make my handwriting look at least legible, if not nice.

Every since then, I've been a fan and have tried to keep it up here and there. Besides, it's a good excuse to keep getting pretty stationery. :o)

Anonymous said...

i love this idea, the unity of it, the community in it.
to be honest, whenever sending a letter or postcard, i'm typewriting it! so it's still archaic, but handwriting is dying for me personally.
thanks for the thoughtful post! xo.

Mary said...

I wrote two letters yesterday. One to my niece who is 7 to respond to the letter she wrote me and another to an old college friend. And I look forward to the response back from both! In my family, we write letters.

Unknown said...

I remember being a child, looking at my mother’s handwriting which I thought was so lovely. It made me aspire to have nice handwriting as well and now with my own son, I encourage him to write a real letter every month or so in his best penmanship. It would be a tragedy to lose something so fiercely independent and personal.

kitten roar said...

i handwrite things every day! letters, my journal, etc. however, my roommate and i were talking the other night (i'm a writer, she's a poet, so we both spend a ton of time writing) about the future of writing. we couldn't help but entertain the idea of a future day when children are no longer learning how to write in school, and pens are difficult to find - just like polaroid film.

LB said...

This is a wonderful project. Handwriting IS still alive and it always will be to me. I prefer to write by hand. It flows better, looks prettier, and gosh darnit it just feels good. :) I'm so glad I came across this post! Thanks for sharing. Good luck with that journal. I promise you won't regret it.

Martha O. said...

My mother is a calligrapher and just wrote a little article for a local magazine on this very subject, including WHY handwriting is important. She even includes a little guide for helping kids (or adults for that matter) improve their handwriting. Here's the link, and the article starts on page 66 of the current issue. http://www.provooremword.org/

Anonymous said...

Oh what a wonderful thing it would be to have a little library of huge handwritten notebooks...

I truly love the idea here. I'm still in school, so I'm writing everyday,always looking out for distinctive styles scrawling across other peoples' pages. My own writing changes constantly; I can't find a form that's quick enough to keep up with the notes. But when I have spare time, I do like to keep a moleskine of handwritten and designed quotes to keep the tradition alive for myself personally.

Linnea said...

Handwriting means so much to me! There's something special about the uniqueness of each person's hand - Mom's careful letters, Dad's scrawl, Nanny's leaning cursive letters, my husband's uneven "B" and precious "I love you" left on a sticky note, baby's first letters. It's almost like having a piece of someone with you - so much more than a tradition. It's personality on paper, raw self-expression, promises made, love sent.

Elizabeth said...

I'm one of the few in my group of friends who can read cursive, let alone write in it. Sad? I think so. Handwriting is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I like the geometric font faces as much as the next guy, but handwriting is ever-changing, and ever-unique. And let's face it, other forms of "uniqueness" seem to be becoming more and more mainstream. Lame.

jane said...

Inspiring post! I hope handwriting is still alive. The hand written is so beautiful. I'm trying to make sure my 4 year old draws with crayon and paper and want her to learn to write before she becomes dependent on a computer. There's something so amazing about good old paper and pencil.

Anonymous said...

This made me realize that the only time I ever really handwrite anything is when I write in my journal. How sad!

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