Nuclear Information Centre
NIC/TE/012
Text-based laboratory experiments on an atomic level, exploring the textual, sculptural and performative possibilities of working with the periodic table of elements in a way that is strictly rules based yet with vast scope for experimentation and creativity. Exploring the creative potential in combining science and art.
Elemental Writing is a speculative and experimental yet highly rules-based creative writing process that involves forming words, poems or text constructed entirely of chemical element symbols. These could be existing words or made up words or a combination of both which can then be arranged as you like. You can look to bring meaning to your text or you can simply just enjoy the visual nature of the written words or how it sounds when spoken or read.
Additionally, as each element has a corresponding atomic number all text will have an equivalent numeric version. So, Elemental Writing can be simultaneously alphabetic and numeric. There is also potential scope for evolving elemental writing in more perfomative ways such as live readings or recorded audio versions.
Elemental Writing workshop @ The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum, Cheltenham (14 Aug 2024).
Recent examples of Elemental Writing on subjects of nuclear weapons testing and radioactive waste disposal.Information last updated: Sun 08 Dec 2024