What makes a semiotician tick? SEMIOVOX’s Josh Glenn has invited his fellow practitioners in the field of commercial semiotics, from around the world, to answer a few revealing questions.

Tallinn…

SEMIOVOX

When you were a child/teen, how did your future fascination with symbols, cultural patterns, interpreting “texts,” and getting beneath the surface of daily life manifest itself?

KAIE KOPPEL

From age 9 or 10, I was fascinated by books on ancient Mesoamerican cultures and archeological sites. I read and re-read everything available on the subject in Estonian at that time (late 1980s) and place (the Soviet Union). I pored over the glyphs found on monuments and majestic buildings, attempting to make sense of the stories and histories that they — perhaps — conveyed. I remained fascinated with these glyphs, and even considered writing my 2nd-year research paper on the topic.

I would just add that although much progress has been made since then towards interpreting these signs, there is still plenty to discover.

SEMIOVOX

Describe your first encounter(s) with the theory and practice of semiotics.

KAIE KOPPEL

A 1996 booklet about study opportunities at the University of Tartu [in Tartu, Estonia] mentioned “semiotics.” It was the only word in the booklet whose meaning I didn’t know… so I ended up majoring in semiotics and cultural theory.

My alma mater is one of the world’s key centers for semiotics. I was exposed to everything: introduction to semiotics, semiotics of culture, biosemiotics, theory of semiotics, semiotics of art — lectures, seminars, workshops. My classmates and I got to meet Thomas Sebeok, John Deely, Paul Cobley, Marcel Danesi, Jesper Hoffmayer, Winfried Nöth, Myrdene Anderson, Gunter Kress, and other top semioticians — not just in the lecture room, but at social gatherings with wine and beer. The entire semiotic world came to us, and we learned from them in all sorts of ways. We were in our late teens and early twenties at the time, so you can imagine how profound the effect of all this was on our thinking and worldview. To this day, we don’t have any other way of thinking, I’d go so far as to say, than semiotic thinking.

Of course, my generation was exposed to semiotics, without realizing it, when we were very young. Yuri Lotman [the influential Russian-Estonian semiotician] used to lecture on TV — about art, literature, poetry, culture. His lectures would be on in the background as we played and did other normal kid things. So it started very early.

SEMIOVOX

How did you find your own way to doing semiotics?

KAIE KOPPEL

When I decided to write about “intersemiosis,” or “multimodality,” in Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be able to find much out there on the topic. This was a great opportunity, since it forced me to do a lot of my own thinking — and to immerse myself in the interplay of Vonnegut’s words, images, and meanings.

Later, I was given the chance to teach semiotics — at various University of Tartu programs, to people studying everything from dance to scenography and information science. This experience forced me to digest a lot of theory and make it understandable and applicable to those who might not be interested in the theory but could get a lot out of the perspective and mode of thinking for use in their own work.

At a certain point, I became interested in questions around habit — a key point of interest for Charles Sanders Peirce, as well as for John Dewey. Specifically, around how semiotic thinking helps us disrupt habits, and can therefore prove useful when it comes to designing interventions within the sphere of innovation. My own work is centered around social innovation, so even when I’m working with traditional design-thinking tools, my semiotic thinking is always “on” in the background — making my approach more systematic, and addressing the underlying values, beliefs, and (if you will) culture of the services, or system of services, requiring innovation.

SEMIOVOX

What are the most important attributes of a good semiotician?

KAIE KOPPEL

An important moment in the development of my practice came in 1999, when I happened to read three works at the same time: Lotman’s essay O semiosfere [translated as On the Semiosphere], Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers’ Order out of Chaos (a modern classic on thermodynamics), and Terry Pratchett’s children’s adventure novel The Carpet People. Eeach of these books deals with the same topic: how possibilities form into set patterns and histories, and how — with the right tools — you can free them from those patterns. So a good semiotician is a bit of trickster.

In addition, I’d encourage semioticians to remain curious, to keep an eye out for patterns, and to develop good listening skills. “Listening” literally, but metaphorically too — in your thinking and analysis. Listen for what’s being said (and not said)… and not just by the loudest voices.

SEMIOVOX

What three books about semiotics have you found the most useful and enlightening in your own work?

KAIE KOPPEL

• Juri Lotman’s Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture. An essential read on the semiotic theory of culture, one that focuses on cultural dynamics and the notion of the “semiosphere.” A global and deep — and at the same time delicate and nuanced — exploration of cultural meanings.
• Jesper Hoffmeyer’s Signs of Meaning in the Universe. Extends semiotic theory beyond the confines of culture to all living systems. This perspective has informed my own practical ethos: seeing the complexity of living semiotic systems makes you humble, and highlights the importance of less interference (we really don’t have a clue how these systems work) as well as considerate regenerative practices where the damage has already been done.
• John Dewey’s Human Nature and Conduct. For me, it’s the book about habit, one written with a deeply humane touch. Although published 100 years ago, it provides an excellent reflection on how innovation works, where it starts, and what triggers us to explore the situations where we get stuck — that is to say, when our habits, deeply ingrained in the infrastructures and institutions of our societies, no longer work.

SEMIOVOX

When someone asks you to describe what you do, what is your “elevator pitch”? How do you persuade a skeptical client to take a chance on using this tool?

KAIE KOPPEL

Products and especially services often fail in the implementation phase because, if they’re really an innovation and not just a technical or instrumental upgrade, then the organization also requires internal transformation(s). So I say: “Seventy percent of innovations fail in the implementation phase because businesses or public institutions don’t understand their own cultures. How well do you know yours?”

SEMIOVOX

What specific sorts of semiotics-driven projects do you find to be the most enjoyable and rewarding?

KAIE KOPPEL

All of my projects — whether they’re overtly semiotic or not — are informed by a mindset permanently “distorted” by semiotic thinking. In fact, I prefer projects — like social innovation projects — where the semiotics isn’t explicit but implicit, covertly informing the strategies of transformation and innovation that I’m helping the client develop.

SEMIOVOX

What frustrates you about how semiotics is practiced and/or perceived, right now?

KAIE KOPPEL

I’m really happy about the work that Semiofest — and SEMIOVOX, too — is doing to bring people together and share ideas and practices. We’re a small group: Every little thing we can do to create cohesion and spark new ideas goes a long way.

SEMIOVOX

Peirce or Saussure?

KAIE KOPPEL

Both.

Peirce defines semiotics as a system of principles to study sign behavior. According to Saussure, semiology is a science that studies the life of signs within society. So beyond all their differences, there is a certain resonance in how they define the field of semiotics as something vivid and lively. And they both offer valuable insights into how these dynamics work. 

SEMIOVOX

What advice would you give to a young person interested in this sort of work?

KAIE KOPPEL

• Try to work with the best, and learn from them. Check out what’s happening in the field.
• Read theory — to deepen your own understanding, train your eye for patterns, and develop your sensitivity in doing the analysis. In particular, I’d suggest reading examples of how Lotman interprets classic texts or cultural settings. He doesn’t give you a manual, and he’s writing about culture from the past… yet you will learn so much about semiotic analysis.
• Engage in discussions in the Semiotic Thinking Group [moderated by Chris Arning] on LinkedIn. These will give you not only inspiration but a practical understanding of what’s involved in starting your own semiotic practice or consultancy.
• Check out Semiofest and its past conferences. Seriously! So many exciting things have been shared and recorded in these events. Again, they will not only inspire you but boost your confidence as you navigate the still-uncharted waters of applied semiotic thinking.

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