Not only in the text, but also with the text, linguistic image comes into being. This means that it cannot only be interpreted, but it can also be presented physically. Here begins the issue of ‘presence culture’ as a relative concept of ‘meaning culture’. The so-called ‘pictorial/iconic turn’ sheds light on this material character of text. The text as a type of image presents itself sensately and enters spatially into relations with us. This iconization of text reminds us of the long history regarding the connection between image and text. In artistic tradition, such as text-labyrinth, micrography and concrete poem, the iconic text produces the meaning not only with the aid of grammatical structure, but also with visual sequence. The characters as abstract elements produce a visual form, and they create sensation and life in its visual sequence. The text constitutes a meta-code of image, in that it makes a visual form as such, and the image also becomes a meta-code of text because it restructures the text visually. In this way, image and text coalesce in a type of circular and dialectic relationship. This conglomerate finds a possibility in the artificial life art and bio art. In the artistic practice of computer algorithm and DNA scripts, it has an opportunity to be changed not only into aesthetic life but also into real life. The combination of characters does not make a sentence nor a visual form, but builds levels where real life can be emergent. Although we cannot explain why, there is a marvellous change, while the characters are combined, arranged, and changed chemically, physiologically, and electrically. Indeed, this kind of emergence of life completes the idea of presence. The image. or the text. does not only represent the reality, it also constitutes levels of life, presents itself, and becomes a life.

Ⅰ. 이미지로서의 텍스트
 Ⅱ. 현전의 효과
 Ⅲ. 언어적 도상
 Ⅳ. 메타코드(Metacode)
 V. 생명의 층위
 참고문헌
 Abstract

• 신승철(베를린 훔볼트 대학교) | Seung-Chol Shin