My creative process led me to shape my enquiry and question how visual subtitling can go beyond words to capture the emotional and tonal nuances of voice messages. This line of investigation inspired the creation of an emotional legend of symbols, each representing different aspects of speech, such as warmth, privacy, emphasis, mood, and more. These symbols act as a form of visual subtitling, transforming the emotional qualities of the voice into a graphic language.
The choice to create my own “system” of symbols emerged as a natural extension of my enquiry. I think that symbols are a strong tool for communication — they can turn complex emotions into something simple and easy to recognise. I was interested in using them not to explain the voice, but to suggest how it feels. In our digital culture, we often use visual signs to react or express emotions — like emojis in chats or reactions on social media. So using symbols felt like a clear and intuitive way to explore the emotional layers of voice.
I was curious to see how a voice message could be interpreted and represented using my symbol legend on a white canvas. I imagined the artworks I created as a sort of musical staff made of symbols, visually interpreting the content of the selected voice message. I also experimented with colours and shapes, creating abstract and geometric compositions by playing with lines and curves.
To further engage the audience, I developed a prototype of an interactive website. This platform invites users to listen to voice messages and create their own visual artwork using the symbols from my legend. It’s an experimental, evolving tool, designed to encourage users to explore the emotional nuances of sound in a tangible, personal way.
https://dust-boiling-storm.glitch.me
During my practice, several critical questions started to emerge. One of the things my symbols made me reflect on was their stillness. I began to find them a bit limiting, especially because when I think of music, I think of rhythm and movement — not something fixed or static. This led me to start experimenting with my symbols in After Effects, using them as subtitles and bringing them to life through motion.