A Brush with Silence
“A quiet reminder to the world that peaceful coexistence is not only possible, but beautiful.”
This was the performance created by renowned calligrapher Brody Neuenschwander, and performed in several countries with participation of local calligraphers.
Brody describes the event as “a meditation in calligraphy and silence. It has been conceived to bring calligraphers from many different cultures together as a display of cultural tolerance and unity in diversity. Working together in this dramatically lit space, the calligraphers manifest serenity and concentration as they write their texts with brush, quill and reed pen.”
In 2018 A Brush with Silence was held in the old Round Church in the centre of Cambridge, UK, during the Letter Exchange conference, and gathered 15 amazing calligraphers.
Vera Evstafieva was invited to demonstrate Cyrillic style of her choice, and she wrote with the flat brush and broad nib pen.
The performance was filmed by BBC2 team for the documentary, designed by Brody Neuenschwander — The Secret History of Writing, and several episodes featuring different calligraphers were included in the documentary.
The handwritten copy of the piece was requested by Letterform Archive in San Francisco and was exhibited at 10×10 anniversary exhibition in 2025.
