Letters as inheritance

Typography, Heritage, and Creation

Immersion in the world of contemporary typography, in close dialogue with Norman medieval manuscripts, this exhibition offers an exploration of the graphic roots of writing in Normandy.
It highlights the richness and diversity of current typographic creation in the region, through works designed by contemporary designers and artists who reinterpret ancient forms of writing. These creations resonate with the scriptural practices of medieval abbeys and question the permanence of gestures, signs, and forms through the centuries.

One of the galleries at the Maison des Arts is dedicated to a extensive project of typographic exploration and artistic research around the letter in Normandy, in all its expressions — engraved, calligraphed, or printed.
Led by the Skritur collective, this initiative relies on a set of heritage sources: the exceptional collection of the heritage library of Évreux, which houses around thirty manuscripts dating from the ducal period; the rich epigraphic landscape of the city, from monumental pediments to vernacular inscriptions; as well as major regional historical references, such as the Bayeux tapestry or the sculpted steles that testify to Viking heritage. From this corpus, an original alphabet emerges, a reinterpretation of these graphic heritages, giving rise to a unique contemporary typographic character specifically designed for Évreux and freely accessible to all.

The two other galleries of the Maison des Arts host the project Prélettres by Eloïsa Pérez, a playful and educational proposal inviting children to discover the principles of typography, as well as a presentation of typographic creation projects carried out over the past ten years by the National Typographic Research Workshop (ANRT).

By Fabrice Houdry and the Skritur collective (curation)

Practical information:
All audiences
Free

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