Rémi Forte is a typography teacher at Strate École de Design, foundry manager at 205TF, and phD candidate at Université Paris 8.

Recently, Rémi and I have been exchanging books. Earlier this year, I received “hmrnu”.





“hmrnu” is a set of four illustrations. each illustration is a square of twelve lines. each line is an alternative sequence of spaces and the letters h, m, r, n, u. all the letters are plotted in a distinctive, sans serif font. every letter is plotted – some overlapping.

reading Rémi Forte’s “hmrnu”, I wrote…




two executives reborn as calves




CALF ONE: room, are you?



CALF TWO: rumour, are you? umm… you, you, you, are you?



CALF ONE: mmhmm…rumen-handed.







CALF TWO: are you? are you? haha, hah-hah, rumen.



CALF ONE: you. no, me! you rumen roam.



CALF TWO: hurry; return. now or never — now!







CALF ONE: humor, me? are you no one? remind me…



CALF TWO: no human. me, me!



CALF ONE: room me; are, are you numbered? heard.







CALF TWO: you hear men; no, urine.



CALF ONE: no men. you are you…umm…numbered.



CALF TWO: nerve, how you undo humming reeds numbly.







CALF ONE: …men, no hmm…roots!



CALF TWO: you, you, rumours are you, moon?



CALF ONE: are you humor, rumen?







CALF TWO: hands no hands are, are humming hoofs, huh…



CALF ONE: room! you need my you.



CALF TWO: room humming, heard you? reeds, heron returning!







CALF ONE:
no, no, run! hoof moon. are you numb?



CALF TWO: rumen heard; now, hello me red.



CALF ONE:
me, me, rumen — are, are you needed?







CALF TWO: room. hide urine here; men need



CALF ONE: hundred — no, more. returning umm…



CALF TWO: numbers, new roots. hurry, huh…







CALF ONE: hello! you may never human.



CALF TWO: urgent mirrors, umm…



CALF ONE: roots, roots — your money moon.







CALF TWO: rumen-nerved, hello. know yourself? root humming



CALF ONE: huh? remember our numbers…



CALF TWO: you are moon; returning heron, roar home roar home.







CALF ONE: no, no, run. names mirror /



CALF TWO: are you numbered? nearing names



CALF ONE: hmm…men numbering roots…







CALF TWO: you need many hands. you rumour no hunger red /



CALF ONE: my numbed no — handed names judgement



CALF TWO: umm… numbered renewal. human—you.







CALF ONE: hurry ahead your memory.



CALF TWO: homing roots — you urine rumour



CALF ONE: are you me? roots judgement money…







CALF TWO: men are men…! run home; no head returns.



CALF ONE: reeds humming home, healing — hearing rooted-moon



CALF TWO: new moss, you are mother: hearing, rearing.







CALF ONE: hear robin, rain hunting numb. run. no home — memory…



CALF TWO: men red urine need money home now



CALF ONE: hum numb memory, moss marrow nomad?







CALF TWO: roots red — urine mirror; hurry!



CALF ONE: no, head rinsed moonless. need, need hundred-nerved money /


CALF TWO: judgement, umm… naming roots nerves?





— puddlethumb, alex benedict




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