I Choose Music Without a Score [ICMWS]
2025

TYPE

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MA THESIS PROJECT, RISOGRAPH PUBLICATION
ROLE

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CREATIVE DIRECTION, GRAPHIC DESIGN, PRINT, BOOK-BINDING


I Choose Music Without A Score, also titled ICMWS, is a publication made of multiple components. It forms part of a broader research project I pursued at the Royal College of Art Visual Communication MA program, examining the boundary between symbol and language. 
The project utilizes geographical space as a starting point and overarching metaphor to challenge the routines and structures that govern language. The main methods used are hypothetical language production and participatory meaning-making.
Through mapping and iterative processes, pseudo-linguistic forms emerge - portraying the inherent instability of written language and inviting reflection on how language can be used, constrained and reinvented. Within the pages of this publication, a hypothetical language system is displayed and deconstructed.

This work was exhibited at the RCA 2025 Festival of Communication in tandem with Then Metamorphose, 2025 - an interactive floor piece that invites collective meaning-making and character invention.

ICWMS consists of:
(1) Introductory Card - An introduction of the intention and concept behind the publication

(2) The Main Booklet - Presents every character with associated definition

(3) The Brushstrokes Booklet - A suggestion of the stroke-order logic, writing method and imagined historical writing customs

(4) The Etymology Booklet - Indicates the hypothetical evolution of character forms, referencing historical developments and morphological connections

(5) Overview - Displays all characters for an at-a-glance reference




Risograph printing creates beautiful colours and effects on different paper. Below are some tests on various paper stock and additional experiments.

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©2025 Bernice Wonghello@bernicewong.com