You say you are one, I hear we are many
2010-2019

Alfabeto Fonético VIII:  You say you are one, I hear we are manY

Installed at Havremagasinet, Boden 


About this work:​​​​​​​
APPLIED PHONETIC ALPHABET is a series of works started in 2009 which explore the artist's on-going interest in language, the letter and the word as material for her art. In this series the artist utilises the acronym to build phrases that take the form of comments or statements related to her views on social issues or contemporary situations she conveys is this somehow coded yet transparent strategy. The choice of words and resulting phrases often display a contrast between the language commonly used in analog telecommunications and the more poetic resulting statements. 
The work is a proposition to create a new spelling alphabet, trying to use words of an international meaning and spelling, even if their pronunciation is adapted to the phonetics of each different language and the customary sounds of each country. Some of the selected words, deriving from Latin or Greek, were initially scientific or mythological concepts and ended up being used in daily basis (such as Atlas or Flora); some others are so specific to a certain culture or geography that tend to be used every time a reference to their connotation is needed or desired (such as Harem or Ninja); and some seem to have become transnational due to the necessity of them being recognized by foreigners everywhere (such as Camping or Taxi). 
Previously Exhibited at:
-Avenue of the Americas, LentSpace, New York, 2010
-ARCO 2010, Madrid, Spain, 2010
-Pelas Bordas – Galeria Vermelho – São Paulo - Brasil. 2013
-Carla Zaccagnini & Runo Lagomarsino, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, -Suécia. 2015
-Economie de la tension, Centre d'Art Contemporain Parc, Saint Léger, 2016 
-Shout Fire. Röda Sten Konsthall, Gotemburgo, Suécia. 2018
-Språk, Havremagasinet, Boden, 2019
OTHER VERSIONS OF Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado (in anodised aluminium)
Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado IV, 2016
Installation view at Centre d'Art Contemporain Parc, Saint Léger, 2016 
The radiophonic alphabets, internationally used and recognized, originated from the two so-called world wars, in the last century. These acrophonic alphabets (in which each word represents its initial letter) are used to avoid misinterpretations and keep mistakes probabilities to the very least, every time the mutual understanding of a combination of letters seems to be crucial. It is not easy to find words that can be pronounced and decodified in different languages, and the alphabet known as Able Baker, created by US army in 1941 and then adopted by civil aviation, contained such an amount of sounds unique to the English language that another spelling alphabet, called Ana Brazil, was used in Latin America.
Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado II, 2010
Installation view at Malmö Konsthall , 2015
Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado II, 2010
Installation view at LentSpace, New York, 2010
Currently, the most used of these codes is the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, also known s the OTAN phonetic alphabet, which, despite its reference to the North Atlantic, is used by civil aviation companies and radio amateurs throughout the planet. Even if it departed from the recognition of a necessity to find common sounds to English, French and Spanish, the OTAN alphabet comprises a considerable number of words that refer to Anglo-Saxon culture: Alfa Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whisky Xray Yankee Zulu. Ironically enough, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s characters condemned to a tragic ending due to miscommunication, are included in this list.
Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado II (Portuguese version), 2010-2013
Installation view at Galeria Vermelho,  São Paulo, 2013
Alfabeto Fonético Aplicado i, 2010
Installation view at ARCO, Madrid, 2010
CARLA ZACCAGNINI
ALFABETO FONÉTICO APLICADO VIII: You say you are one, I hear we are many
2010-2019
Latex paint on marine-grade teak plywood
35 parts
90 × 350 × 12 cm 
Unique
Produced by Havremaganiset, Boden
Status: Available
Location: Malmö
Provenance: Artist's Studio
Anodised aluminium version is available (suitable for permanent exterior installations)