Signare

In Terzidis' article about the etymology of design, he describes the ancient Greek and Latin roots of the word design. Although the modern interpretation of design is of something for the future, the word design actually came from the Greek word schedon which means "approximately, nearly, almost," and has a rough translation as something that we once had but have no more. However, the Latin root for design, signare, impacted me the most. Signare means mark-making, a concept that many past, present, and future designers dream about doing through their works. As humans, we have a limited amount of time to make ourselves known, to leave a mark on this world as proof of our existence. Sometimes, inner turmoil caused by the injustice in society or the desire for freedom can amplify this desire even more, such as the time when Germany was split into the West and East by the infamous Berlin Wall post-World War II.

Even after the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, there exists a striking contrast between the West side and the East side of the wall. On the West side, which was controlled by democratric nations, the wall is covered by colorful art and graffiti that “expressed the politics of the cold war and made fun of the absurdity of [the wall’s] being.” However, on the East side, which was controlled by the communist Soviet Union, the wall remains blank and free of expression. Those who lived in East Germany were repressed from behaving as freely as the inhabitants in West Germany. Nevertheless, the strong hope for the reunification of West and East Germany was shared by the people from both sides, invoking the need to express their bottled up emotions. Therefore, certain West Germans used the Berlin Wall as a painting canvas, documenting the fear, anger, and hope felt during this historic period, essentially leaving their mark for future generations to look back and reflect on.

Undoubtedly, their art was and is evidence of their existence, a true practice of signare in the direst of times.

*Photo taken from here ; Credit to Berlin Wall Art: Wall Words