Bladzijde uit een Deventer almanak voor het schrikkeljaar 1596 c. 1596

This is a page from a Deventer almanac for the leap year 1596, an anonymous creation on paper, offering us a glimpse into the calendrical conventions of the time. The almanac presents itself through a structured format of printed text arranged in columns and rows, the rigid grid of language is offset by the irregular edges and tears, introducing an element of chance. Red ink highlights certain dates. The texture of the aged paper adds another layer, a tactile contrast to the symbolic order. The almanac functions semiotically, with dates, astronomical information, and perhaps astrological predictions acting as signs. Their arrangement follows a logic, yet the missing parts disrupt this order. These disruptions unsettle fixed meanings, suggesting the fragile nature of knowledge. The grid-like structure of the text is thus undermined by the material reality of the document's fragmentation. Consider how this interplay between order and disorder not only reflects the physical state of the artifact, but also points to broader philosophical questions about time, knowledge, and the unpredictable nature of existence.