unsent character
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A COLLABORATIVE TYPEFACE
Flux Gothic is a collaborative typeface based on a mingling of mail art and type design. The goal is to develop a basic typeface, including capital and lowercase letters, numerals, and standard punctuation marks, that remains in flux as individuals adjust and rework the characters.
The characters themselves are sent to individuals through the international postal service. They are based on the Franklin Gothic typeface, designed by Morris Benton between 1903 and 1912, and fabricated from cut cardboard; surfaces are finished with paper maché and painted black before the initial posting. Capital letters measure close to eleven inches tall; lower case letters are about seven inches tall. The characters all measure some four to six inches in depth, emphasizing their physicality as opposed to our usual experience of letters as flat shapes. The depth of the forms also affords the participants numerous opportunities to change the characters.
As letterforms are returned and posted online, they will be sent in turn to other individuals, creating a typeface which is perpetually in flux, with numerous versions of any particular letterform.
Please contact me to receive a letter.