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The semiotics of the letter in contemporary art: Typographic biohacking by Oded Ezer // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2025. Issue 1 (43). P. 70-92

The work of a contemporary artist with fonts cannot be interpreted only on the basis of the traditions the artist refers. It is necessary to study actors who actualize traditions. The font, being a design element, in art can acquire the meaning of a bodily code that determines bodily reactions to social memory. The article examines the projects of one of the world’s leading media artists working with fonts. It is demonstrated that the semiotics of the textual sign can be supplemented by the premises and conclusions of Bruno Latour’s actor–network theory. The actor–network theory insists on the instability of systems and on the compensatory function of the body: the body is not some basis of experience or observation, but one of the factors of the presence of action, which makes it necessary to keep the system in a mobile equilibrium. The body participates in, rather than cognizes, a system of relations between cognizing and cognizable things networked together. Oded Ezer’s case study examines the implantation of the script in cultural memory, made possible by the development of media in art. Oded Ezer, although drawing on the traditions of the Jewish mysticism of the letter and the achievements of contemporary media art, understands the letter as a multiple authorized element embedded in networks of perception, both everyday and specialized. The plasticity of the works brings everyday optics closer to the optics of specialized practices, primarily medical, which engage different things as equals inside networked interactions to ensure a sustainable equilibrium of production. In this way, the actor–network theory proves productive for interpreting art that is neither reducible to science art nor to a reflection on the past. Ezer’s work needs to be reconstructed rather than interpreted, drawing on the advances of the actor–network theory and the critical study of self-presentation. The body proves to be the most malleable actor in the network, allowing us to identify gaze and memory, touch and action. Ezer’s work is not merely performative; it brings together different forms of participation, and thus its effect can be labeled as a typographic metaperformativity that incorporates natural objects as well. Ezer’s self-disclosure of the method is carried out in his work on the legacy of Franz Kafka, abandoning interpretation in favor of endowing Kafka’s metamorphoses with a new sense of biohacking in which human and non-human agents participate. Kafka’s hero turns out to be not just the author of fate, but the author of books and the creator of the mode of book production; i.e., the method associated with the actor–network theory is reproduced in the semiotic expressiveness of this work.

Keywords: bioart, font design, actor–network theory, Oded Ezer, Franz Kafka, science art, media, communication, performativity, corporeality

Productive use of uncertainty in identifying actors of media identity construction // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2025. Issue 3 (45). P. 94-120

Media identity in the context of society's digital transformation represents a complex, dynamically changing phenomenon where traditional boundaries between content creators and consumers are becoming increasingly blurred. This article examines the crucial role of uncertainty as a constructive factor in the process of media identity formation. The authors propose an innovative theoretical and methodological approach combining the principles of Bruno Latour's Actor-Network Theory (ANT), concepts of flat ontologies (Latour, Harman, DeLanda), and the original non-substantive methodology developed by the authors. The central thesis of the study is that uncertainty should not be perceived as a problem or limitation in researching media identity. On the contrary, it serves as a vital resource for uncovering latent connections, new types of actors, and non-obvious mechanisms of identity construction in the digital environment. The article provides a detailed analysis of how the state of uncertainty creates conditions for new forms of subjectivity to emerge, redefines boundaries between the human and the non-human (algorithms, interfaces, digital artifacts), and facilitates the constant reassembly of identities. The empirical part of the work includes a series of case studies demonstrating the productivity of the proposed approach: from analyzing the practices of video bloggers (Ksenia Prikhodko, Dmitry Sverlov) to examining interactions with artificial intelligence and virtual museums. Special attention is paid to the "Virtual Hermitage" project as an example of how digital technologies create new formats for experiencing cultural heritage and, consequently, new patterns of media identity. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the development of an original concept of productive uncertainty and a non-substantive methodology offering fundamentally new ways to analyze media identity. The practical value of the work is manifested in the potential application of the proposed approaches to studying contemporary digital practices, designing user interfaces, and developing identity management strategies in social media.

Keywords: media identity, digital identity, uncertainty, productive uncertainty, Actor-Network Theory, ANT, flat ontologies, non-substantive methodology, Bruno Latour, Graham Harman, Manuel DeLanda, artificial intelligence, virtual museums, digital practices