Roll of the Dice
Alex Pillow


Artist Statement

Though they have changed shape and form throughout history, dice have been around for ages. The oldest known dice were excavated in Iran and are dated between 2800 and 2500 BC. In some form or another, the numbered objects have been used as far back as people could write about history. Because dice and the usage of them have been so pervasive in virtually every society, what might they say if given the opportunity to communicate? In translating the roll of dice into 45 separate and distinct images, “Roll of the Dice” explores the ability of numbers, dots, and grids to tell stories. The project poses that our possibilities for these ancient objects are endless: covert military communication, universal language, divinatory and oratory purposes.

Roll of the Dice is meant to explore the vast cryptic possibilities of an item that a majority of people look at strictly for its use in games. In thinking about what the dice could have been for, but by thinking about new possibilities of communication using dice we may be able to usher in a whole new set of uses for an item that has been used by humans for thousands of years.

Alex Pillow

Alex Pillow is a Senior Graphic Designer at Appalachian State University, and is also the President of the AIGA App State Chapter. Working out of Boone, North Carolina, Alex has found that the most successful pieces have come from exploration and experimentation, and not by practicing rigidity of form or practice. He hopes to be involved in both web design and print design after he graduates.

https://apyah.com/