Description

"The written word is the most basic element of human culture. To touch the written word is to touch the essence of culture." - Xu Bing

Book from the Sky certainly seemed to have fallen from the heavens: the text of this installation piece was written in a new language that resembled traditional Chinese. No matter who scours Xu Bing's book for 'meaning', they will only discover a semblance of it: mutated characters that resist interpretation. Carving out approximately four thousand wood blocks by hand, Xu Bing spent four years, from 1987 to 1991, making (in his own words) "something that said nothing".

After creating a book no one could read, it only made sense for Xu Bing to develop his next project: a book that transcended barriers of language: Book from the Ground. Composed entirely of pictographs, Book from the Ground is a groundbreaking study into the concept of universal communication.

Whether his goal is total comprehension or confusion, Xu Bing's masterful exploration of language challenges the way we think about the written word.

Xu Bing: Book from the Sky to Book from the Ground

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Hardback by Xu Bing

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Short Description:

"The written word is the most basic element of human culture. To touch the written word is to touch the... Read more

    Publisher: ACC Art Books
    Publication Date: 02/10/2020
    ISBN13: 9781788840620, 978-1788840620
    ISBN10: 1788840623

    Number of Pages: 204

    Non Fiction , Art & Photography

    Description

    "The written word is the most basic element of human culture. To touch the written word is to touch the essence of culture." - Xu Bing

    Book from the Sky certainly seemed to have fallen from the heavens: the text of this installation piece was written in a new language that resembled traditional Chinese. No matter who scours Xu Bing's book for 'meaning', they will only discover a semblance of it: mutated characters that resist interpretation. Carving out approximately four thousand wood blocks by hand, Xu Bing spent four years, from 1987 to 1991, making (in his own words) "something that said nothing".

    After creating a book no one could read, it only made sense for Xu Bing to develop his next project: a book that transcended barriers of language: Book from the Ground. Composed entirely of pictographs, Book from the Ground is a groundbreaking study into the concept of universal communication.

    Whether his goal is total comprehension or confusion, Xu Bing's masterful exploration of language challenges the way we think about the written word.

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