You can also use terminals equipped for instant translation between english or mandarin. From the metropolitan museum of art, xu bing, book from the sky ca. Due to the universality of its visual language, it could be published anywhere without translation. Xu bings a book from the sky and a book from the ground. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Book from the ground is a book written using only emoticons by chinese artist xu bing that illustrates the ability to create a universal language using graphic symbols, he said wednesday in. Xu bing news book from the ground shown at exhibition. Focusing on the relationship between text and image in each of these works, it explores the relation between verbality and visuality in multimodal literaryart. Twenty years later, xu bing published an actual book. Heres how xu bing describes the origins of the project on its associated web site. Although the pictogramonly narrative in xu bings book from the ground can be read by anyone, there is much more to the story of xu bings wordless book than can be gleaned from icons alone. Xu bings book from the ground is composed entirely of symbols, emojis, emoticons, whatever you want to call them. And i want to focus on his square word calligraphy this time, which proclaimed the possibility of unexpected rewards for those making the effort to communicate across cultures. Book from the ground is written in signs and symbols that xu bing has compiled since 2003, such that any reader, regardless of cultural background or level of education, can read it. Focusing on the relationship between text and image in each of these works, it explores the relation between verbality and visuality in multimodal literary art. A prolific and versatile artist, xu bing has created a range of works that explore traditional and experimental bookmaking and printmaking best exemplified by his iconic installation book from the sky and language including his invention of square word calligraphy and the ongoing book from the ground, as well as animals and nature. Words without meaning, meaning without words asian art and culture erickson, britta, xu, bing, arthur m.
Visuality and translation in contemporary chinese literary art. Installation view at blanton museum of art, the university of texas at austin, 2016. Xu bings first tobacco book 2000 included passages about the duke familys tobacco dealings, which appeared in sherman cochrans big business in china. The book about xu bings book from the ground book, 2014. Xu bing was recently invited to select and describe his favorite found icons from the wideranging iconolinguistic project book from the ground 2003ongoing. In this fashion, xu bing selected passages from four significant faithbased texts one buddhist, one gnostic, one jewish, and one passage from marx, all in english translation, which he then transcribed as square word calligraphy, and then synthesized into one text. Xu bing following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing presents a new graphic novel one composed entirely of symbols and icons that are universally understood. Now i have created book from the ground, a book that anyone can read. From to front and back covers, 2012 print on paper each. Regardless of cultural background, one should be able understand the text as long as one is thoroughly entangled in modern life. The new installation here consists of seven books published in seven different countries and regions in the past seven years. The book from the ground exhibition at sga includes a tower of babel book display copies of from dot to dot are available for 48rmb, a shop selling iconinspired products, a mockup of xus studio, and an animation showing the bund dissolving into icons. Its fascinating, though, because symbols have traditionally been quite arbitrary, but in this case they generally are clear in their meaning. Book from the ground is a novel written in a language of icons that i have been collecting and organizing over the last few years.
Installation of books and scrolls printed from carved wood types of invented characters, ink on paper, dimensions variable. Because of the universality of its visual signification, it can be published anywhere without translation. Book from the ground is a pictography suited to all spoken languages. Xu bings studio also made a character database software that corresponds to the language of the book. Twenty years ago i made book from the sky, a book of illegible chinese characters that no one could read. Xu bing following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing.
When xu bing 1955 first exhibited his book from the sky in beijing in 1988, the chinese were, understandably, shocked. Visuality and translation in contemporary chinese literary. K11 and bankmabsociety join hands to present hong kongs first book from the ground concept store by xu bing, an art installation cum design store based on his groundbreaking novel book from the ground. From this single grid, one can discern nearly 4,000 separate poems. Book from the ground is a book written using only emoticons by chinese artist xu bing that illustrates the ability to create a. Xu bing creates contemporary artworks using chinese calligraphy and other traditional chinese media placed within unexpected settings.
The critics began to write about an emergent xu bing phenomenon. Chinese artist writes book using only emoticons life. Xu bings a book from the sky and a book from the ground this article. Xu bings approach to artmaking reflects his desire to explore the boundaries of language and the space between understanding and misunderstandinghis own and that of viewers. The accompanying explanatory book, the book about xu bings book from the ground, includes documentation of the wider project when it has been presented in the context of an exhibition, and includes its development as a software program that translates chinese and english text into pictograms and symbols. All journal articles featured in asia pacific translation and intercultural studies vol 1 issue 1. A book without words, recounting a day in the life of an office worker, told completely in the symbols, icons, and logos of modern life. Catalog of books, installation, and workshops shattered jade, 19771982 five series of repetition, 19836 artist proof pages from book from. The artist first compiled symbols drawn from the public sphere and wrote a book using only these signs. The book from the ground, by the contemporary artist xu bing. Art as a form of thinking, a lecture by noted scholar john rajchman, columbia university, investigated the way various modes of thinking are given play in xu bings.
From point to point is how xu bing, despite his training in printmaking and calligraphy, didnt draw his own symbols unlike book from the. Subvert culture with chinese characters by zhihui yu abstract although the use of chinese language in art work is prevalent in much contemporary art, the chinese language is worth more and more focus and attention at this moment. Xu bing spent seven years gathering materials, experimenting, revising, and arranging thousands of pictograms to construct the narrative of book from the ground. The artist i would like to choose for my final project is a chinese contemporary artist xu bing, one of chinas bestknown artist. Xu bing began to develop the pictographic resources for his book from the ground project in 2004 see the postscript to the book and webnote z. The following text is part of artist xi bings novel book from the ground. In his artists statement bing says, regardless of cultural background, one should be able understand the text as long. Im quite certain that xu bings book from the ground will never be.
Book from the ground 2003present, also on view at the frost, is an interactive staging of two computers running chat software that lures visitors to simultaneously decode universal signs and symbols, a pictographic language that xu bing previously developed from preexisting symbols and used to write an entire novel. For the shanghai version 2004, xu bing used an excerpt from the chinese translation of cochrans book. Xu bing s a book from the sky and a book from the ground. Experimental chinese literature translation, technology. Tianshu is the title of a book produced by chinese artist xu bing in the style of fine editions from the song and ming dynasties, but filled entirely with meaningless glyphs designed to resemble traditional chinese characters. Always a pioneer, artist xu bing now takes the novel. Asia pacific translation and intercultural studies. Four months after chinaavantgarde came the tiananmen square protests. Even so, this work challenges our very approach to language because of the unique nature of the text written on the paper. The result is a readable story without words, an account of twentyfour hours in the life of mr. This companion volume to book from the ground chronicles the entire project, mapping the history of xu bings novel creation from inspiration to. K11 art mall debuts hong kongs first book from the. Booklyn is proud to present the artwork of xu bing.
While xu bings students were making agitprop art, including a 30ft statue of the goddess of democracy, his father was dying of lung cancer. The exhibition included such major works as xu bings book from the sky, ghosts pounding the wall, 1st class and massive new installation of background story series. Although the pictogramonly narrative in xu bings book from the ground can be read by anyone, there is much more to the story of xu bings wordless book than can be. Chinese artist writes book using only emoticons chinese. The creation of xu bings book from the ground documented and described in text, images, and photographs. Exploring xu bing and his square word calligraphy cctp. Xu bings tianshu book from the sky is a large installation featuring precisely laid out rows of books and hanging scrolls with written chinese texts. A page of book from the ground, which narrates a day in the life of an office worker xu bing book from the ground is not xu s first project to contemplate language and writing. Despite his attraction to calligraphy shufa, xu bings book has zero chinese characters inside it. Books, prints, installations, workshops and lectures by xu bing are all available via booklyn. Xu bing has been undertaking his book from the ground project since 2003. Download citation visuality and translation in contemporary chinese literary art. This article examines two works by contemporary chinese artist xu bing. Bing has written the text in a language of icons that he has collected.
For the book fom the ground installation, xu bing recreated his studios working environment and brought some materials to the exhibition space, implying that this is a neverending project in progress. Xu bings a book from the sky and a book from the ground published on 01 jan 2015 by brill. Translation and technology 4 visuality and translation in literary art. Xu bings most popular book is book from the ground. But xu bings narrative, using an exclusively visual language, could be published anywhere, without translation or explication. The book is written in a way that any reader, regardless of his or her cultural or educational background, can understand. The bookbecomes a practice in symbolic thought through imagery, almost like calculas. For the book fom the ground installation, xu bing recreated his.
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