Eleni Alexandri – author of HS 7 cover art
Eleni Alexandri | 29 December, 2020.
My name is Eleni Alexandri, and I am a second-year student of the MA program of Semiotics. I wanted to study semiotics, because as an outsider it seemed to me like something almost magical; a tool that enables the beholder to enter a new reality, where he can see and experience things under a new light. I am happy that after a year and a half of my studies here I still feel the same way.
My background education includes a bachelor degree in Theology, and a degree from the vocational institute of Leica academy in Photography. Generally, I am interested in everything artistic and creative, apart from dancing, because I am terrible at it.
Since high-school, I am spending time learning programs that help me express my creativity, either to manipulate pictures, or edit videos (or even mix my own music). After photography my skills on photo editing programs were enhanced, and even though I never had digital painting or illustration lessons, I am able to find my way through various software and create things like this month’s logo.
Hortus Semioticus’ logo for this month depicts a minimalistic tree with roots, and while it is a very simplistic design, there are some thoughts behind it, some easter-eggs, that I am going to reveal to you!
The tree with roots is a reference to the cosmic tree, an archaic symbol of the world studied by many semioticians. According to Toporov it’s a model of all types of existence, it is universal for all mankind and it created the basis for certain poetic symbols; thus, world tree is a very “semiotic” element.
The colors of the logo on the other hand, also have a semiotic meaning. I used the color palette #2228. During the first semester of my studies, I remember Michael Lotman saying that this number is known to all semioticians. The reason is that it refers to the second volume of collected papers of Charles Peirce, where we can find the definition of “sign”
Peirce: CP 2.228 Cross-Ref:††
228. A sign, or representamen, is something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity.”
I love how easter-eggs make you feel; like a small, innocent, somehow awkward child, that is gathering data, talking like a detective, discovering more about the riddles before you (taking myself as an example of course)
Finally, I would like to prompt all of you to participate in the competition for the logo of next month. I know that among us are many talented people that can create beautiful things. Even if you don’t want to design the new logo, but you want to share your art with your fellow students, you can submit your work on Hortus Semioticus blog. Let’s all share our creative side and motivate each other to express ourselves through art!
(There is also a hidden message in this text; hint: take a look at the first of every six words of the paragraph in italics)