Covenant
Covenant invents intimate new letterforms by intertwining two uppercase letters. Rendered via a custom drawing tool specially programmed by the artist, the works appear ornate from a distance while revealing their low-fidelity checkerboard construction up close.
Some pieces integrate pixelated photographic imagery of human figures, placing these figures in the same physical realm as the letterforms. Like the hybridized glyphs, these images straddle the line between legibility and abstraction.
Inspired by illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, Covenant explores a new approach to handcrafted pixel art, as the artist’s hand makes precise motions with a mouse. Those ancient tomes were intricate, merging oversized lettering with ornate illustration. In the era before mechanical reproducibility, each was unique — a celebratory object that transcended mere legibility.
This series is part of the artist’s ongoing exploration of typography across cultures, technologies, and eras. Throughout history, text persists and adapts, quickly inhabiting new media and capturing humanity's experiences across place and time.
Covenant launched on SuperRare on July 25th, 2024. Read more in the interview with Paloma Rodriguez here.
all 52 works
click images to expand
Only three pieces show a grid of glyphs. This style is called “Specimen”.
Each glyph was made using a custom coded drawing tool. Try it here.
Pale peach-pink pieces are in the “Rossa” palette
Stacked glyphs compositions are called “Scroll”
patterned compositions are called “Carpet” because the patterned end-pages of medieval manuscripts are called Carpet Pages.
Deep red pieces are in the “Wyn” palette