Secret King - Perastar

About This Exhibit

Secret King is a multidisciplinary project commissioned by novelist Dawn Chapman to develop a constructed language for the fictional world of her novels. The commission extended beyond the creation of a linguistic system to encompass a substantial dictionary, a custom writing system, a handmade ornamental volume, interactive software applications, and a physical medallion featured in the stories. Together, these elements explore how language and material culture can contribute to the depth and coherence of an imagined world.

At the center of the project is the development of a constructed language supported by an extensive dictionary. Rather than serving merely as a collection of invented words, the language was developed as a resource through which the fictional culture could be represented and explored. Its accompanying writing system provides a distinctive graphic identity, transforming linguistic structures into recognizable visual forms. The relationship between sound, written language, and ornamental design became an important aspect of the project's broader artistic development.

The dictionary was printed and handbound into an elaborate leather-covered volume of my own construction. Its richly ornamented exterior incorporates geometric motifs, decorative emblems, and contrasting colors, transforming a practical linguistic reference into a physical artifact. The book's construction reflects an interest in the relationship between knowledge and its material presentation: a dictionary that functions not only as a reference work but also as an object that might plausibly belong to the world it documents.

The commission also included the creation of a physical medallion based on an object appearing in Chapman's stories. Its circular form, layered ornamentation, and geometric symbolism give tangible expression to an element of the fictional narrative. By translating a literary object into a physical artifact, the project extends the imagined world beyond written description, allowing an object conceived in fiction to exist as a sculptural work.

In addition to the linguistic and physical components, I developed a calendar application and a Word of the Day application for the project. These digital tools provided additional ways to engage with the constructed language and its associated fictional culture. The vocabulary application presented words through an interactive interface, while the calendar application extended the project into another dimension of cultural and temporal organization. Together, they demonstrate how constructed languages can function within interactive systems as well as literary texts.

Secret King represents an exploration of the relationship between language construction, visual art, software development, and literary worldbuilding. By creating not only a language but also the books, symbols, objects, and applications associated with it, the project investigates how the imagined elements of a fictional culture can acquire coherence and material presence. The resulting collection occupies a space between linguistic invention, book arts, graphic design, sculpture, and digital media, illustrating the possibilities of collaborative artistic creation in support of a literary world.