Latent Figures

Three years after Shape Grammars (2020), Jannis Maroscheck returns with an updated look on machine-generated graphics and the core motif of mass produced ideas. Searching for forms of expression hidden between ancient runes and y2k logos, medieval monograms and clip art illustrations, hieroglyphs and stock icons, Maroscheck developed systems to merge the shared visual vocabulary designed by humans across eras, continents and cultures. The resulting catalog is a dive into the inner workings of an AI that has seen nothing but graphic shapes and symbols.

With this sort-of-dictionary, Maroscheck creates a visual language that blends pragmatic graphic design aesthetics with elusive imagery. A collection of shapes that often approximate something we know or understand, but their meaning doesn‘t quite want to resolve, they revolve around themselves, somewhere between meaning and nonsense. Offering a space to project one’s own imagination.