Book
Book from the ground : from point to point / by Xu Bing.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780262027083 (hbk.)
- ISBN: 0262027089 (hbk.)
- Physical Description: 112 pages : all ill. ; 23 cm
- Publisher: North Adams, Massachusetts : Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art ; [2013]
- Copyright: ©2013
Content descriptions
| Language Note: | Text consists entirely of computer icons and other pictographic symbols. |
| Source of Description Note: | Title from back cover. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Icons (Computer graphics) > Fiction. White collar workers > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Artists' books. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Circulation Modifier | Holdable? | Status | Due Date | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Carr University of Art + Design | X8 B66 (Text) | 30235599 | Artists' Book (ask at Reference Desk) | Not holdable | Available | - |
- Choice Reviews : Choice Reviews 2015 January
A leading representative of the new wave of Chinese artists who emerged on the international stage after Tiananmen, Xu works in a variety of media. His signature piece is Book from the Sky (1987â91), a series of limited editions and exhibitions of texts printed from hand-carved blocks resembling Chinese characters but in fact concocted, lacking semantic content.  No one could read Book from the Sky.  Anyone can read Book from the Ground, a clever novella recounting an office worker's day.  Entirely pictogramsâideographs, logos, emojis, symbols, signage icons--the book stands as an expansive, creative, sustained example of a language that has become popular online. This global language needs no translation, and its form, the artists' book, speaks for a persistent fondness for printed matter.  Not surprisingly, and to its credit, MIT University Press (which is known for good design) is responsible for publication. MIT also published a companion explanatory volume--The Book about Xu Bing's Book from the Ground, ed. by Mathieu Borysevicz (2014)--but it seems premature. Though it provides interesting background on the artist and his process, and on other aspects of the larger project (which includes video, installations, and so on), the collection seems padded and it ignores related art such related work as lettrism and wordless graphic novels. Summing Up: Essential. All readers.
--M. Kasper, Amherst College
Michael Kasper
Amherst College
http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/CHOICE.185358
Copyright 2014 American Library Association. - LJ Express Reviews : LJ Express Reviews
Chinese artist Xu's latest work (after Book from the Sky) seems like a lot of gibberish if you just flip through itâlong lines of symbols with no text anywhere to be seen. Focus in, though, and you'll discover that what Xu has done is present a single day in the life of an average man, depicted entirely in emoticons, street signs, corporate logos, and other easily recognizable symbols. It takes a moment to catch on, but once a reader falls into sync with Xu, it is immensely pleasurable to decipher the story, like cracking a code or understanding a foreign language for the first time. Xu's intent seems to be to highlight the importance of nonverbal communication in 21st-century life, and he succeeds wildly. Even the inner lives of his characters, their hopes and dreams, their secret desires, are brought to life through simple symbols in sly combination and the use of repetition. Verdict While this book might turn off readers looking to escape into a more conventional narrative, anyone interested in experimental fiction, modern art, or a little bit of challenge will be delighted.âThomas L. Batten, Grafton, VA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
