TORI WATSON

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN THESIS / RESEARCH / 2026

SPLICE

What if we could preserve information inside the body itself? Splice is a 3D typeface in which every character is a real human protein structure sourced from AlphaFold, an open-source database of computationally predicted molecular models. Each glyph was found using pareidolia as a formal methodology: rotating protein models until legible letterforms emerged. Discovered, not designed.

The centerpiece is a mechanical keyboard on a plinth. A screensaver cycles four phrases in the protein typeface: This alphabet is made of you. Your body cannot be erased. Now it is your turn to say something. What are you going to say? A visitor can type anything. Each character renders in real time as a rotating 3D protein molecule. The phrase is simultaneously sonified: amino acids are mapped to musical tones, producing a unique ambient sound for each input.

Three floor-length strips of sheer chiffon printed with protein letterforms hang in the space, responding to movement and touch. Four 3D-printed resin protein sculptures spelling B-O-D-Y are mounted to a mirror, so viewers can see themselves reflected behind the molecules. The interface is set in Computer Modern, designed via Knuth's Metafont, a typeface built from mathematical parameters rather than drawn by hand, echoing Splice’s methodology.

The human body has been translated into language. What are you going to say?

VISIT SPLICE-TYPE.COM