Esther Hunziker
Beckett1.suit

Beckett1.suit is an edition by Basel-based artist Esther Hunziker, consisting of a CD-ROM containing a computer font and a corresponding CD booklet. The edition was created on September 9, 2006, with an edition of 23 copies and a corresponding website: http://www.23ltd.ch/.

The font included is a so-called sampling font, which the artist developed herself. In this font, a single keystroke does not correspond to the usual letters and numbers, but rather entire words and sentences. The term "sampling" is borrowed from music production, where short excerpts ("samples") from existing tracks are taken and integrated into new compositions. A sampling font works in a similar way: it is composed of language elements taken from existing texts.

The method is inspired by the literary practice of the so-called cut-up technique, where texts are cut, rearranged, and glued together to create new meanings. This technique was used by literary avant-garde movements in the early 20th century, for example. Hunziker uses algorithms and software to create a digital version of it.

Beckett1.suit is the first font in a series of Writer Fonts, which, instead of letters and numbers, contain short sentences and words based on the literary works of different authors. In line with the title, the sentence fragments for this first version are borrowed from the English version of Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.

Text: Nina Liechti