Namul Night
2025The Bouba/Kiki effect states that there is a universal, non-arbitrary link between certain visual shapes and verbal sounds. Based on this theory, I developed a workshop in order to help translate un-translatable Korean words into images, using namul as a guide.
To do this, I enlisted the help of eight of my South Korean colleagues in the Visual Communication course at the Royal College of Art.
Following a presentation explaining my motivations for the workshop as well as the premise of the Bouba/Kiki effect, I put them to work. The first directive was to go around the table, touching/tasting/smelling the namul in various forms on the table, where they were presented as such: dehydrated, raw, and cooked.
Participants would then write down various onomatopoeia that they associated with the various flavors, smells, and textures.
Worksheets and drawing utensils were provided for participants to express each un-translatable word into illustrated images.
Results were scanned and outlined, then lasercut into wooden flashcards, mimicking language learning devices for children.