MADE IN CHINA LONG AGO – Woodblock Printing Revisited Now

Just because bilingualism does not restrict itself to the use of the alphabet, lately i have being tackling with Chinese characters.

last Sunday March 1, 2015, i have been honored to present a lecture on 'engraving' at  the New York Chinese Opera Society. Inc, New York. 

Lecture Excerpt

Evens so we dream out of glassy and slick touched out screen devises our world [natural or artificial]  surrounding us is created by the contrast involving texture. As it is thanks to texture that we exist and life is sustainable — imagine just a world where there would be nothing to ‘ grab’ at or bite into, what would our fate become? At least for French people it would be as terrible as a day without crisp and crusty baguette. No doubt his would raise a lot of protest!

As soon as you open your screen phone you eyes search for what we has learn to identify as ‘logos’ [ square shape signs]… in this matter it is significant the way a logo conduct us to the function ‘phone’ for example, the ‘image’ of it represents an actual phone handle from the 1950’s. While, the  ‘email’ function’ uses the image of the back of a postal envelop my grandfather could have used! Their summarize the idea using  a clear “visual” contrast. 

This touched ‘logos’ never appear visually  ‘flat’ [ even so their are], they all are ‘created with a system of ‘shading’ for the purpose of making them have a 3 dimensional effect. Therefore, creating a sense of volume and by all means to appear as if standing up above the background rather then sticking,  blending  or fusing into it. This phenomena is by no means new, in Italy entire buildings facades provide you with master designs that are meant to make anyone into believing that sculptures or columns are supporting  buildings while they are just fakly painted on it . They give an ‘illusion’ of ‘deeps’, ‘solidity and of high sophistication … while it’s all made to fool your eye into believing on …read the full story