Multimodal writing: the avant-garde assemblage and other minimal texts

Abstract

Taking multilingual, minimal urban texts as objects of its analysis, this paper suggests that language(s) (writing) need(s) to be examined as part of multimodal ensembles (Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse: The modes and media of contemporary communication. Arnold). I examine and draw parallels between greeting cards, advertisements, corporate signage and developments in twentieth century avant-garde art, when artists incorporated language (writing) into their assemblages. The data is then linked to the framework of metrolingualism (Otsuji, E., & Pennycook, A. (2010). Metrolingualism: Fixity, fluidity and language in flux. International Journal of Multilingualism, 7(3), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710903414331). © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.