For nearly ten years, Paul Chan has been exploring the aesthetic, interactive, and philosophical potentials of computer fonts. As a complement to Sade for Sade’s Sake, his monumental digital projection inspired by the work of novelist and philosopher, Marquis de Sade, that premiered at the 2009 Venice Biennale, and his solo show at Greene Naftali gallery in New York, Chan has created a set of 21 truetype fonts that transform the act of typing into a generative Sadean performance. Unlike conventional fonts like Arial or Comic Sans, Chan’s fonts are comprised of phrases and sentence fragments rather than letters and other alphanumeric characters, so that what is typed on the keyboard is not what shows up on the screen, or what is printed on paper. Each font holds a unique set of idioms that expresses a different sexual voice when typed. Some like "Oh Bishop X" and "Oh Justine" are based on characters in novels by Sade, while others are inspired by characters from news (Monica Lewinsky), pornstars (Michael Lucas), and poets and writers (Gertrude Stein, Holderlin) whose work knot together sex with language, rhythm and form. When you type with one of Chan’s fonts, anything you write becomes instantly, inexplicably, dirty, erotic, pornographic, poetic, sometimes all at once.

This Special Edition Data CD includes:
21 Truetype fonts for Mac, Windows, and Linux
Easy to Use Font Installer, Guide to All the Fonts
PDF books and prints based on the fonts
Special edition digital book of drawings inspired by the fonts
And much more!

Paul Chan has made this Deluxe Edition of 150, which includes a signed and numbered print to benefit Rhizome’s annual Community Campaign. All the support goes directly into its programs, which support internet and new media art. These programs include commissioning, preservation, a robust editorial program, events and exhibitions, and the maintenance of a leading website for artists, curators and new media enthusiasts around the world.

National Philistine; 2009; data CD Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible

Also available in regular edition.