We decided to use very basic imagery to best depict the process of traveling using trains/subways. We decided and simplified this plaque into four stages in order to cross out details that could complicate the story’s progression. We also decided to depict our plaque as a circle to symbolize continuity. The start and the finish of our images repeat the cycle which makes it comprehendible since the aliens didn’t have the same distinctions in directions as the ones the humans had. We begin the process from the top of the cycle. The image shows a minimalistic depiction of a subway, a human holding a coin. Then moving clockwise, the human is seen walking onto the train with that coin. In that image is also another symbol that resembles an upside-down drop of water. This symbol in this frame is however empty and is only outlined. The third image shows the human aboard the train. The money is at the front of the subway and is no longer connected to the man. Not only this but on the sides of the train are the two symbols. One is outlined like in the previous frame whilst the other is filled in. This is a representation of the train or object moving from one place to the next place while carrying the human. The final frame shows the man getting off the moving train, leaving behind the coin, and arriving at a new destination. This is depicted with the filled-in location sign displayed on the right side of the frame. This cycle then continues again as it does in real life with a human once again buying a ticket to go from A to B. We thought that the most important aspect of our image is not to explain to them what a train looks like, but to explain the movement from one place to another. Regardless of the image, the aliens wouldn’t recognize that this is a train. We focused on the movement of the human’s movement with the change in the destination through the filled and empty location signs. Regardless of the aliens didn’t understand that the symbol we chose was a human sign of location, they could see the difference or change between the filled and empty symbol and understand that the images they see are not referring to a stationary concept. The Aliens use written language and are portrayed as a single logogram. This means that is a written or pictorial symbol intended to represent a whole word. Our entire plaque only consists of 5 main logograms. A train, walking human, still human, coin, destination A and finally destination B. Using this method would make it easier for them to recognize since it is interpreted similarly to their own language, as single images rather than a composition of signs like an alphabet.
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