| Title | A Universal Lexicon |
| Artist / Creator | Sarah Hulsey |
| Artist's Nationality | United States |
| Place of Publication | Somerville, MA |
| Publication Date | 2018 |
| Author of Text | Galileo Galilei |
| Contributors | Translated by Stillman Drake |
| Number of Images | 3 |
| Structure / Binding | Pamphlet with fold-out images, modified Bradel binding |
| Medium / Materials | Paper, ink, thread, book cloth |
| Paper Stock | MacGregor handmade paper |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 5 x 7.25 x .5 inches. Extends out to 17.25 inches |
| Edition Size | Limited edition of 30 |
| Box / Wrapper | Slipcase of book board covered with book cloth |
| Signed & Numbered | Signed & Numbered Edition |
In one of the most important scientific treatises of his era, Galileo compared the act of understanding the universe to reading a book in the language of mathematics. By comprehending the symbols and figures of this “grand book,” one could avoid wandering about in a dark labyrinth of confusion. This artist’s book uses the vehicle of translation—between languages, of text to image, and across domains of language—to illuminate the mathematics and science of linguistics underlying Galileo’s text. Illustrations representing the sounds, syntax, and logic alternate between Italian and English, providing a route through the arguments of the text.
Artist Bio
Sarah Hulsey is an artist whose work draws on her background in linguistics to explore the structure of language in a visual domain. She has had solo exhibitions in Cambridge, Boston, and Philadelphia and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. She received a BA in linguistics from Harvard, a PhD in linguistics from MIT, and an MFA in book arts/printmaking from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Hulsey is a 2020 recipient of the Artist Fellowship Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the 2016 Walter Feldman Fellowship for Emerging Artists in New England, and the Fabric Workshop and Museum Post-graduate Apprenticeship. Her work is held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Yale University Haas Arts Library, University of California Berkeley Bancroft Library, and the Ampersand Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, among others.