Making Letters Make Sense

Jeremia Turangan

turanganjeremia@gmail.com

Imagine if the sounds of your language stayed familiar, but its letters slowly became strange.

Javanese is spoken by millions of people across Indonesia and in diasporic communities, yet its script is slowly disappearing from everyday reading and writing. The Latin alphabet has become the main writing system, while Javanese script often appears only on street signs and cultural objects.

Making Letters Make Sense explores how multisensory communication design can make this script feel closer again. The project turns Javanese consonants into mnemonic visuals inspired by Indonesian objects and daily life. In an interactive installation, these visuals are paired with sound as a way to approach letter recognition through looking and listening.

The aim? A first encounter with Javanese letters that feels curious and accessible.