Events
Salon Series 62: Formal Play: Chinese Lettering Manuals from the 20th Century
with Caspar Lam, YuJune Park
Amid the transformations of 20th-century China, a unique form of lettering emerged, unbound by tradition and technology.
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In the early twentieth century, a unique of form of lettering called meishuzi emerged in China against a backdrop of profound cultural, political, and social change. Occupying an ambivalent position among a deeply rooted calligraphic tradition and a rapidly changing print tradition, meishuzi became an experimental playground unencumbered by traditional notions of form making and the constraints of print technology.
Initially the domain of commercial artists with a simple goal of drawing as much attention to words as possible, the practice of meishuzi spread to a more general audience and was eventually marshaled into larger ambitions of nation-building. Capturing these dynamics are the many instructional books produced during this period which documented shifting attitudes and ideas in lettering.
Drawing on Letterform Archive’s collection of these manuals spanning 1930 to 1971, this talk examines the dynamics among visual experimentation, tradition, and politics and the negotiations in form making that emerged. What the saga of meishuzi reveals is not a set of specific styles but a set of lettering practices amid turbulent change.
Caspar Lam
Caspar Lam is a partner at Synoptic Office and an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons, where he led the curricular transformation and growth of one of the largest undergraduate Communication Design programs in the U.S. during his tenure as Program Director. Caspar’s work has been exhibited internationally and recognized by the ADC, AIGA, Design Week, Fast Company, and the Webbys, among others. A frequent contributor to articles and books, he speaks widely on design’s role in shaping culture. Caspar is a former Executive Board Member of AIGA NY and currently serves on the board of the Museum Computer Network advancing the digital transformation of museums. In 2022, he was honored in Creative Review’s Creative Leaders 50 list, which celebrates global leaders advancing their field.
YuJune Park
YuJune Park is a partner at Synoptic Office, and a tenured Associate Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, where she has served as the Chair of the School Curriculum Committee, Program Director, and Associate Director of the BFA Communication Design program. Her work has been recognized by Fast Company Innovation by Design, the Webbys, Design Week, the Art Director’s Club, and the AIGA. She speaks internationally on design and education, most recently at the ATpyl, Typographics, Northside Festival, and AIGA/NY. In 2022, YuJune Park was selected for Creative Review’s Creative Leaders list, which celebrates global leaders advancing their field.
