文化节报 | TYPO BÂLE



"Typo Bâle"是"Culturescapes China"文化节背景下对瑞士巴塞尔城市进行文字干预的项目。因此我们在中国发送了 "翻译征集书"，即对巴塞尔城市文字的视觉翻译的邀请函。

翻译征集书—瑞士巴塞尔城市文字的视觉翻译

尊敬的同事们、
亲爱的朋友们：
在此我们想邀请您来参与我们新项目：每年一度的"Culturescapes"文化节今年聚焦中国，在这个背景下，我们计划对巴塞尔城市的文字进行干预。该文化节将是人们对中华文化视角的新挑战。在整个巴塞尔城市空间内会有一系列的活动和展出。

将城市里出现的旗帜或横幅上的拉丁字母进行干预一西文变成成中西双语，是在城市文化节上给人们一个惊喜的计划。整整三个月，巴塞尔将成为一个中国的文化驻地！来自欧洲和中国的参观者将不仅对自身文化，且于他国文化有一个贯通的理解。

该计划的理念如下：设想有一天早晨醒来的时候发现人们所生活的欧洲城市发生了变化：所有公共场所的信息文字忽然由双语一拉丁字母和汉字—组成。这一重大变化该让我对城市的感受有多大影响？

我们想邀请您，为这个"Culturescapes"文化节上巴塞尔城市空间里的文字编排进行中式"翻译"。

该项目由设计师李德庚先生策划。李先生亦是设计研究者、写作者、策展人，与合作伙伴蒋华共同创立了OMD当代设计中心，目前执教于中国清华美术学院。李德庚的设计强调了设计的社会影响。

非常高兴我们能与以下设计单位合作：
中国中央美术学院（北京）：宋协伟教授和学生们
中国中央美术学院（北京）：林存真教授和学生们
中国鲁迅美术学院（大连校区）：王小峰教授和学生们
瑞士苏黎世艺术学院：设计系大师班进修生
以及许多专业设计师，由李德庚先生策划。

我们所说的"翻译"有何指呢？这个项目旨在对在巴塞尔城市这个特定的地点里现有的文字进行视觉设计。我们给出一些有关巴塞尔城市空间内的文字，望您能抓住他们本身的特点，以国际文化信息交流为思路，把这些西文信息转化成与此相对应的中文版。
在这个基础上，我们邀请您对这些西文文字做出平面的视觉翻译（用InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop…)。在进一步的实现过程中可使用各种材料，如利用发光字、木头字、墙上涂鸦等等、等等，并请作出记录。我们会非常重视您的各个进程草案，也非常欢迎模型制作（拍成照片）。您的作品将成为巴塞尔展览的一部分。

我们将非常感谢您的合作！请您将作品在1010年7月18日前转给我们。此外相关事宜请不吝与我们联系！

设计成果将在巴塞尔市名叫"Unternehmen Mitte"的咖啡馆大厅里展出，展出时间为10月11日至31日。



"Typo Bâle" is a typographic urban intervention in Basel (Switzerland) in the context of the festival "Culturescapes China". Therefore we made a "Call for translation" in China and asked for a visual translation of letterings in Basel.

Call for translation 一 visual translation of letterings in Basel, Switzerland

Dear colleague, dear friend, Hereby we would like to invite you to contribute to our latest project: A typographic urban intervention located in Basel, Switzerland, taking place on the background of the annual culture festival "Culturescapes" focusing China this year. The festival offers a challenging view on Chinese culture. A wide range of events and exhibitions will spread over Basel's venues and urban space.

The visual transition emerging from our typographic urban intervention—be it as letterings, flags, banners…—are planned to be a festive surprise during the Culturescapes festival. Our objective is to make Basel a Chinese quarter on the global map for three months! Being an intercultural intervention at the same time, European and Chinese visitors shall be able to put their own culture into perspective of visual interaction.

Our project emerges from the following concept: Imagine, one morning you wake up, and the European city you live in has suddenly changed: All public letterings, advertisements, written information in general, appear bilingually, in Latin and Chinese characters! How would this significant change affect the perception of the city?

We would like to invite you to visually translate given typographic information from Basel's urban space into Chinese.

The project is curated by Mr. Li Degeng, designer, researcher, writer, founder of OMD Contemporary Design Terminal in 2007 with partner Jiang Hua. Currently he is a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tsinghua University, China. Li Degeng's research emphasizes the social impact of design.

We are very happy to also collaborate with the following institutions: Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing: Mr. Prof. Song Xiewei and students Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing: Mrs. Prof. Lin Cunzhen and students Lu Xun Academy of Arts, Shenyang, China (Dalian Campus): Mr. Prof. Wang Xiaofeng and students Zurich Academy of Visual Arts, Zurich, Switzerland: students master of advanced studies – typography Plus a number of additional professional designers, curated by Mr. Li Degeng, Beijing.

What do we mean by "visual translation" in this context? We aim to visually refer to a selection of given letterings or typographic information in Basel's urban space, by means of design and typography. We want you to pick up a given situation and transfer—translate—it into intercultural information. We ask you to reflect the translatory notes that we have attached to each of the given letterings.

On this basis, you are asked to produce drafts for a visual translation (using InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop…). Please add ideas for a future implementation (for instance: illuminated characters, wooden characters, murals…) in an additional document. Your submission of several different trials is appreciated, also models (photographed) are very welcome. Your submissions will be shown as a part of an exhibition.

Please hand in your submissions until July 18th, 2010. We would be grateful for your collaboration! Please don't hesitate to ask us for more information!

The results of this process will be shown in an exhibition in the "Unternehmen Mitte" from the 20th of October till the November 7th.