{"id":17859,"date":"2024-01-08T00:51:54","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T00:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/?p=17859"},"modified":"2025-06-25T14:35:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:35:51","slug":"phaistos-talks-kiara-dos-reis-february-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/phaistos-talks-kiara-dos-reis-february-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Phaistos Talks Kiara dos Reis\u2014February 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kiara dos Reis is currently a first-year student studying Graphic Design at the Greenside Design Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a profound interest in every facet of design, and thoroughly enjoys exploring a multitude of styles and practices to work towards unique design solutions.
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\u201cRight now, everything is very hectic and heavy for humanity.”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> Of the forty-five visuals you created, which is your favorite? Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> My favorite was maybe the letter r\u2014either the stuttering version or the \u201cregular\u201d one. I just had so much fun with it and looking at the way the tongue, in particular, was shaped [when saying the sound] and I think it came out really nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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r<\/em> <\/em>[5 of 45]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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rr~ <\/em>[6 of 45]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> What does the tongue shape like when we make an \u201cr\u201d sound?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> It curls behind the teeth and doesn\u2019t touch anything\u2014and then you say the sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> What was your initial response looking at the Phaistos Disc?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> After diving into research and the history behind it I thought it was crazy interesting. I remember when looking at a[n] [online] server [about the Phaistos Disc], there were a lot of people saying different things about it like, \u201cIt could be a poem. It could be a warning. It could be a curse.\u201d So it still has all that meaning even if we don’t know what it means\u2014it [the Phaistos Disc] could be nothing, but we put that meaning into it. That really drove my decisions for a lot of [how the project\u2019s] symbols themselves [functioned].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> Why do you think an artifact from the past could be relevant to you and your creative practice? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> We have to learn from the past to be able to learn the skills we use today. Like when you look at the Phaistos Disc. If we did know what the symbols meant we would make connections that could help us today. So I wanted to make something that was similar, like when you look at it [my project] and you kind of think, Oh, what is thi<\/em>s? And then you read the description and everything makes sense. It’s all about that moment of connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> What do you mean by that? Connections?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> So I showed the symbols to a few of my friends and some other people, and when I asked them, \u201cOkay, what do you think this is?\u201d they all were like, \u201cGirl, let’s be real, I have no idea what I’m looking at.\u201d Then I showed them the description, and they went, \u201cOh, wow!\u201d and they had a lot of fun with it\u2014they started slurring the sounds and all that. So I just wanted to foster connection between the symbols themselves, their actual meaning, and that general idea of what a symbol is supposed to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> Your project St-uh-teh-rrr<\/em> utilizes neurographics to show what a human mouth looks like when it stutters. You noted in your artist statement that neurographics were created specifically to soothe those with anxiety and other mental disorders. Why did you want St-uh-teh-rrr<\/em> to have soothing imagery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span> I actually came up with the idea for the set of symbols after I watched a TikTok of a girl with a stutter. She was simply ordering a drive-thru\u2014she was getting McDonald’s or something\u2014and she was having a full blown panic attack because she had social anxiety from the stutter. After I watched it, I thought, \u201cOh my gosh, people need to know about this.\u201d It [stuttering] is not something that we are really aware of. I thought intertwining the two [neurographics and stuttering] would raise awareness of stuttering through the social anxiety that’s often connected to it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dos Reis’s sketches for the visuals of St-uh-teh-rrr<\/em>‘s symbols.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> What does your project tell audiences of today and tomorrow about our current anthropocene and human impact on our planet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> I think my intention behind it is\u2014no, not I think\u2014I know<\/em>, my intention was to display that people today are not as mentally well as we were in the past. Everything really gets to us. Like social anxiety. That’s a big issue right now in school and work and just about any other setting you can imagine. It’s just\u2014it’s all so much. Right now, everything is very hectic and heavy for humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> A lot of research on phonetics and human anatomy went into this project. What was one of the most interesting aspects you learned about how humans talk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> The way we don’t really think about it [talking] that deeply, but there’s actually so much that’s going on when you say things\u2014from the depths of your breath, your diaphragm, and your vocal cords vibrating to where your tongue is flicking, how your lips move, and how they touch your teeth. It’s so mind blowing how everything is this perfect orchestra that works together.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The development of the edges of St-uh-teh-rrr<\/em>‘s symbols.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span><\/span> Human anatomy has been utilized in design throughout history. How do you think human anatomy will continue to inspire designers in the future? Do you think that artists are going to start connecting anatomy to humans themselves when they think about designing instead of treating a person\u2019s personality and a person\u2019s anatomy as separate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span> I think people in the future will definitely make a connection between those things. Because people\u2014our mind and our physical body are one in the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> What do you believe are the biggest challenges of this upcoming generation of visual artists\/designers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span><\/span> I think, in general, for my generation\u2014I know a lot of employers nowadays, they want experience, but due to COVID we didn’t really have time to go out and get that said experience. For example, I don’t know if it’s a thing in the US, but in South Africa, when you get towards the end of high school, you often go and shadow people who are already in certain industries, and you gain a little bit of experience just like an internship. And with COVID, I didn’t get to do that. That same experience, I’m sure, has spread through to the rest of the world. And even though you can currently work from home design is a very practical thing. You really need to learn hands on from those who came before. So that lack of experience is really affecting us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> Do you have any advice for emerging designers on how to overcome this challenge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span><\/span> Have an open mind. If you look for something\u2014if you search real hard, I’m sure you can find it. Like\u2014what’s the name? Paula Scher. Paula Scher released a BBC Maestro course recently that I’ve had my eye on. To learn from her would be so great. I think it’s still possible nowadays, but you have to go out there and find the experience you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TPP45S<\/span> The humans who created the Phaistos Disc\u2014if it\u2019s not a hoax\u2014will never be able to tell us what its forty-five symbols mean. But you are here with us today, to talk about your own set of forty-five symbols. What is it that you hope people take away from your project?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIARA DOS REIS<\/span><\/span><\/span> If at the end of the day, people have more awareness about the anxiety that comes with stuttering and speech impediments, then I think I won a small battle. And like I said earlier\u2014just the overarching topic of social anxiety and being understanding for the people who are struggling with anxiety and mental disorders, [if i raise awareness for that] then I think I’d be satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kiara dos Reis<\/strong>
Kiara dos Reis is currently a first-year student studying Graphic Design at the Greenside Design Center in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a profound interest in every facet of design, and thoroughly enjoys exploring a multitude of styles and practices to work towards unique design solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St-uh-teh-rrr<\/a>
Special Mention Open Call 22\/23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cRight now, everything is very hectic and heavy for humanity.” TPP45S Of the forty-five visuals you created, which is your favorite? Why? KIARA DOS REIS My favorite was maybe the letter r\u2014either the stuttering version or the \u201cregular\u201d one. I just had so much fun with it and looking at the way the tongue, in […]<\/p>\nRead more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[109,96],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17859"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17859"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18828,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17859\/revisions\/18828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}