Penrose Triangle, Multimodality and First Clause. A Graphic Record

Good Morning

The use of geometric on graphic recording 

Once upon a time, a glass of Coca-Cola bottle thrown away from an aero plane on to Kalahari desert. A local tribe, his name Nixau, discovers the bottles. He believes it to be a gift from his gods. “Coca-Cola” is an important message (to be continued).

How to compose messages? 

We can use not only texts but also visual, spatial, linguistic, and aural. Or we called it “multi modality”. The definition of multimodality is here. 

In short sentences, Mode (the way to deliver messages) shaped to make meanings : images, writing, speech, gesture. Mode is not similar with medium. Medium is a physical. Mode is the way. The analogy is: if you see someone who reads a book, so, the book is medium. Modality is how the book’s content read by the reader. It is related to how to interpret the content/messages. 

Multimodality became new integrated literacies terms. 

The use of Penrose triangle 

The use of rounded “cocoretan”

The thrown “Coca-Cola” story above, taken from “The Gods Must Be Crazy” movie (1980). A dropped Coca Cola bottle symbolizes a “bad” influence for society. Especially for local tribe. Because there is only one bottle, founded by Nixau, individuals in Nixau’s tribe begin to claim exclusive access to it. A tension sparks among the villagers. A bottle = medium. A tension sparks by a red colored bottle = modality. 

.

One of the prominent geometric object is “Penrose Triangle”. You can read the complete article in here. This triangle popularized by mathematician, Roger Penrose at 50’s. Penrose triangle is one of exclusively “intellegence property” claimed by “the westerners”. 

Meanwhile, in 2007, Peter J Lu, from Harvard, authored an article about advance geometric concept from medieval Islamic architecture, on Darb I İman shrine, in Iran Achitecfure. It’s been existed from 14th century before Penrose! 

A triangle/geometric tiling = medium. A shape of shrine building = modality.

Geometric patterns from “Darb I imam” in Iran. This foto taken from Wikipedia. July 29, 2026

So, what’s the point here? This is the statement about the fundamental values that culture had. This is what Plato called “First Cause”. Or Nixau and local tribes called “Gods”. 

A bottle of Coca Cola, Penrose Triangle, Darb I imam shrine, are medium. The way to “read” the medium is a modes. The more possibility to read the medium, the more modality we able to shaped (image, writing, speech, gesture, intention) to make meanings. 

Multi modality is a semiotic that shaped by intrinsic characteristic and their potential, as well as what is required of them by their culture/social/habit. 

So, the meaning of “gambar bagus” is different, depends on the readers background. 

Jakarta

July, 29/2016

#mugibagja #graphicrecorder #graphicrecording #scribing