CDoupbles
different media
2013 - ongoing

In recent years, I have dedicated my artistic practice to exploring and visualizing a very special linguistic phenomenon.
Over the course of language evolution, a fascinating phenomenon has emerged. A meta-level has developed—one that we are rarely aware of. Some words unintentionally reside within other words; they are not root words, not etyma, and this phenomenon has nothing to do with etymology. I would describe it as a byproduct of language development.
For years, I have been working with this phenomenon in various languages and call the series CDoupbles (a blend of couples and doubles). CDoupbles engage with the visual construction and perception of language, revealing unexpected treasures and connections hidden within numerous words.
Typically, a CDoupble consists of a main word that contains one or more other words. The meanings arise from the coexistence of these words in the viewer’s imagination, shaped by the associations they evoke. Many such symbioses exist, but I am particularly interested in those that allow space for intriguing scenarios, speculations, and associations—ones that raise questions.
CDoupbles are compelling mini-scenarios that celebrate the unexpected and fascinating aspects of language. Over more than 10 years, I have developed and produced CDoupbles in many languages, including German, English, Italian, Bulgarian, and Croatian, and have presented them internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions.
CDoupbles come to life through various artistic forms—objects, installations, typographic assemblages, assisted readymades and collages, graphics, and videos. More recently, they have also taken the form of AI prompts and AI-generated images. The symbiosis between two words transforms in different ways—from an inconspicuous, "ugly duckling" into a proud, magnificent swan, into a CDoupble, depending on the design of the object, the installation, the layout, the typography, and so on.
This phenomenon, appearing across different languages as a byproduct of linguistic evolution, creates fascinating conceptual and visual connections that resonate with broader themes such as culture, history, and identity.

Videos, animations, typing performances and sound poems may be viewed in my YouTube channel.

More on my blog (challengedgames.blogspot.com), Instagram and Facebook.

The CHAlleNGED GAMES blog was conceived with the hope to stimulate divergence thinking and challenge the viewer to rethink one's routines and shift his/her perspective on the status quo.

The blog was initially  dedicated to the CHAlleNGED GAMES series and seeks for extended meaning in playing and its relation to aspects of human existence and production.

As with the time I started to experiment with another system - the language, to apply mathematical logic and seek patterns in words, in the last years my publications are mostly about this part of my work.

Author: Veronika Tzekova
Publish Date: September 27, 2010
Dimensions: 18 x 18 cm, 70 pages
Language: English/Italian

As a manner of artistic creation in many of my recent works I employ existing urban situations, objects, visuals, texts and just add often a small detail, which significantly changes their meaning and/or function.

St.art book includes art works in the period 2004-2010, some still in progress at the time and some as ideas developed during 2010. The selection is made to guide the viewer through an artistic process that lead to the birth of ideas such as Space NRGZers and Dadissuasori.

The book ends with a couple of blank pages, which are to e filled in with sketches and ideas for new works employing the same approach.