Something magical happens when letters and the book become the raw material of art, so says the curator of temporary exhibition Alphabets Alive! Next to the carefully crafted lettersets and exacting alphabet books, I found the irregularity of print rather charming.

The display label reads …

“Like all of us, the alphabet loves a mirror. Étienne Pressager proves it by pouring ink into the centre of this sheet of paper, folding it in half and unfolding it. Voilá, a single book fold. Its title Mis en pli translates as “set in the fold”. But of course. Mai oui!”

I disagree with the first sentence and suggest that the use of French is exclusionary for some audiences, but it’s pleasing to see a curator putting some energy into their labels, which are otherwise rather well written. Indeed, an exhibition about alphabets in a library is the perfect place to be playful with interpretive language!

Alphabets Alive! is open at the Bodleain, Oxford until January 2024
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/alphabets-alive