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RICHARD NIESSEN In this track we wanted to research the fan as a (1972) graduated from communicative tool. Few historic totems carried as the Gerrit Rietveld much symbolic weight as the handheld decorative fan. Academy in 1996. As a Hand fans were absent in during the Middle graphic designer, he is Ages until they were reintroduced in the 13th and known for his colourful 14th centuries through Venice, when fans from the posters and expressive were brought by crusaders and refugees typography, innovative from Constantinople. Traders brought them from identities and his collaborations with other China and Japan in the 16th century, and fans became artists. In 2007 he created ‘TM-City’, a travel- generally popular. During a certain period of time, ling retrospective for the Festival International the fan became an ideal instrument of communication de l’Affiche, Chaumont, . In 2014 he in an age in which freedom of speech for women was expanded this overview with the book and absolutely restricted. The main gestures were known installation ‘A Hermetic Compendium of as ‘the language of the fan’. The earliest such Typographic Masonry’, a portfolio of 26 richly language was made up of individual letters, and layered designs for Une Saison Graphique in later variations were ‘extensions of body language’, Le Havre, France. mostly to transmit a love code. Not only are fans Besides working to commission, Richard beautiful, a great means of communication, used in Niessen initiates his autonomous projects like social etiquette and thus a carrier of expression ‘Based on Bas Oudt’, ‘1:1:1’ and ‘Jack’. He in many cultures, they are also foremost practical started ‘The Palace of Typographic Mason- objects to carry on a warm day in times of climate ry’ in 2015, a project which brings together change. The ornate, dramatic and once-ubiquitous item experiment, research, connection with other is worth resurrecting now more than ever: wouldn’t it disciplines and the embedding of graphic be great to develop an updated messaging system for design in a broader cultural history. these battery-free tools to cool down? The title of his solo exhibition at Le Signe, Chaumont, France (2019), ‘Building Site’, brings together both the metaphor of building and the analogy with architecture, as well as the creation of a common place, an open play- ground of exchange: fundamental elements in Richard Niessen’s graphic design practice. Practising as an artist and designer, Niessen has conducted workshops with students and designers around the world, and has lectured and exhibited his work widely.

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04-06-2020 when the flag is in a fixed position. Information is encoded by the position of flags; it read rods, discs, paddles, or occasionally bare gloved hands. at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, FLAG SEMAPHORE

Hello Mattia, I hope you are doing fine. This is Richard Niessen, from Amsterdam. I’m happy you are willing to cooporate with me in this project. I’m doing is the telegraphy system conveying information the graphic design for the Dutch pavilion of the Architecture Biennial. My design is based on the idea of the fan. is a line of stations, typically towers,

For me the sample fan is a very interesting medium SEMAPHORE TELEGRAPH A and metaphor that can show diversity, without for the purpose of conveying textual information by means visual signals. It uses pivoted indicator arms and conveys information according to the direction indicators point. The most widely used system was invented in 1792 France by Claude Chappe and was popular in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. hierarchy. Besides this, two fans opened refer It has been said that in the courts of to the western and eastern hemispheres in the England, Spanish fans were used in a more or less secret, unspoken code of messages. representation of the world. These fan languages were a way to cope with the restrictive social etiquette. In the late 1790s Charles Francis Badini For the Exploratorium, I think it would be nice to designed what he named ‘Fanology’. continue working with the fan. We are here Venice Printed instructions were written on the fans informing ladies how to use them. was hoping to connect me with Doretta Davanzo Robert Rowe’s LADIES TELEGRAPH seemed Poli, a Venetian textile expert who wrote in the slightly easier to use. Twenty-six flaps corresponded to the letters of the alphabet catalogue ‘Ventagli italiani’, but unfortunately she and you would point to each letter to make is not able to join this track of the Exploratorium. a word. There was also a 27th flap to signify a full stop.

When lost for words, we point, wave, motion and otherwise use our hands to attempt to indicate meaning. John Bulwer (1606– 1656), an English doctor and philosopher, attempted to record the vocabulary contained in hand gestures and bodily motions and, in 1644, published Chirologia, or the NATURAL LANGUAGE OF THE HAND, an illustrated collection of hand and finger gestures that were intended for an orator to memorise and perform whilst speaking.

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME SIGNAL FLAGS refers to various flags used to communicate with Nevertheless I just started to find out more about ships. The principal system of flags and associated codes is the ‘International the fan. Few historic totems carried as much Code of Signals’. Various navies have flag symbolic weight as the handheld decorative fan. systems with additional flags and codes, and other flags are used in special cases, or As an example, during a certain period of time, the have historical significance. fan became an ideal instrument of communication, and its main gestures were known as ‘the language of the fan’. The earliest such language was made up of individual letters, almost like a semaphore alphabet; later variations were extensions of body language, mostly to transmit a love code.

Not only are fans beautiful, a great means of communication, used in social etiquette and thus a carrier of expression in many cultures, they are also Paulina Ołowska’s ALPHABET was inspired foremost practical objects to carry on a warm day by the book entitled ‘ABECEDA’ by Karel in times of climate change. The ornate, dramatic Teige, who created in 1926 the experimental ‘moving alphabet’, in cooperation with Milca and once-ubiquitous item is worth resurrecting now Mayerova. ‘Alphabet’ combines rhythmicity more than ever: wouldn’t it be great to develop an with constructivist fascination for typography and points to the rhetorical updated messaging system for these battery-free function of dance: three performers tools to cool down? arrange their bodies to form 26 letters, confronting the alphabet of the written language with the ‘alphabet’ of gestures What I would like to explore is the fan as a carrier of and movements, create a new system of expression. We are here Venice now connected me expressing meanings.

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The word fan derived from the Latin vannus, to you. I found out that you have a lot of experience the Roman instrument for winnowing grain. in Commedia dell’arte, that you are working in This winnowing fan, held sacred by all the peoples of the ancient world, must Teatrino Groggia? And I see you are holding ‘The be accounted amongst the earliest of the Grammar of Fantasy’ in your hands … ‘the need for prolific fan-family. The origin of hand fans can be traced back to 4,000 years ago imagination to have its place in education’… maybe in Egypt. It was used in ceremonies and we can incorporate this in the project! seen as a symbol of power. In this great funeral procession from a royal writer in All the best, Thebes, servants carry similar CRESCENT- Richard SHAPED MATTED FANS, along with the more graceful semicircular spring- used by ladies to fan themselves. 09-06-2020

CEREMONIAL FANS were employed by the Native Dear Richard, Americans; there is an account of the visit Thanks for your nice email. I am a creative who of a Taensas chief on the banks of the Lower Mississippi to Le Sieur de La Salle loves to collaborate with other artists, who loves in 1682: ‘The Chief condescended to visit La life and human beings. In recent years my research Salle at his camp. A master of ceremonies

is a line of stations, typically towers, and six attendants preceded him, to clear work starting from the theatre covers the whole city the path and prepare the place of meeting. (shops, hotels, prisons, fields, private houses, noble When all was ready, he was seen advancing and was preceded by two men bearing white palaces) and is the tool to speak about the changing fans, while a third displayed a disc of of the city and its inhabitants over the course of the burnished copper, to represent the Sun, his ancestor, or, as others will have it, time, but above all of the time in which we live. his elder brother.’ It is safe to assume that these fans were of feathers, and the incident is evidence that the use of the The fan can be a thousand things, funny, seductive, fan in high ceremonial was universal, and repelling. I can imagine many variations of its SEMAPHORE TELEGRAPH A for the purpose of conveying textual information by means visual signals. It uses pivoted indicator arms and conveys information according to the direction indicators point. The most widely used system was invented in 1792 France by Claude Chappe and was popular in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. common to both East and West. language. I can imagine making a performance or a video, which all also depends on the type of project you have in mind. All the best Mattia

15-06-2020 . Pochteca, professional, can be traced back to ancient INDIAN HAND FANS SYMBOL OF THE MERCHANT CLASS Dear Mattia, Thanks for your message, I hope the re-opening It is quite probable that the famous Ratinlixul vase depicts merchants on a journey. The chief personage, in litter, holds a fan, long-distance travelling merchants in the Aztec Empire, occupied a high status in Aztec society, below the noble class. They were responsible for providing the materials that Aztec nobility used to display their wealth, which were often obtained from foreign sources. The origins of times, when they were used in temples to fan deities, the royal courts and in households. There is a mention of fans the Indian epic poem, Mahabharat (a major Sanskrit of ancient India). Temple fans vary in size from tiny, to large fans needing the full strength of a person to move them. Villages and towns have varieties of traditional hand fans. In each place, the fans are made of different materials and have intricate designs. of the theatre went well. In the meantime I made Feather fans were used for ceremonial a very rough start to see what happens when the purposes by the ruling Incas of South America. Ritual as a performance requires fans are connected to the stock characters of the actors and spectators to have a shared Commedia dell’arte, and to see what happens when foundation of symbols, and is therefore inextricably linked to a given context of I create patterns for them in a way that the set of social identity, tradition and meaning. fans also becomes a bit like a set of signs. Acts like vocalization, dance and sacrifice are all examples of common elements, and many such acts require THEATRICAL PROPS FOR ORNAMENTATION. Fans played a significant part in the rituals as they could represent wealth and status as well refer symbolically to the concept of certain spirits.

Queen Elizabeth I (1533–1603) is perhaps one of the best-known early adopters of fan- power in Europe. She enjoyed clutching and collecting folding fans and had a collection of 27 at the end of her life. Fans arrived late in her reign as gifts from afar from individuals like Sir Francis Drake, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world. Queen Elizabeth employed these fans when POWER-DRESSING for some of her many portraits that were designed to project her status and authority.

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In my work I somehow always end up mixing developed into foldable wooden fans. like, readable and portable collections. At some point these their base binding the strips together into expandable, fan- of wood called aristocrats, bureaucrats, and rulers used portable strips pre-modern Japan (552–784), before the invention of , But the most endorsed history of folding fan is that in her face mask at a festival led to the tool’s creation. a bat, while the Chinese believe sight of woman fanning Japan the fan is thought to be modelled on folding wings of China with both countries holding legends of its creation. In The folding fan is recognized as being invented in Japan or songs, symbols and ornaments into a graphic language.

What I am interested in is how, in society, we all have our identity, our role, but fewer and fewer MOKKAN opportunities to change roles, to be able to step into someone else’s shoes. On the contrary, we live more and more in our own bubble. It would as notebooks. Rivets were attached at be nice if we could develop a role-playing game with the fans, in a way that we can give people the possibility to – for once – play the captain or the servant. All the best, Richard The Chinese DANCING FAN was developed in the seventh century, and the management of the fan became a highly regarded feminine Dear Richard, art. The Mai Ogi has ten sticks and a thick paper mount showing the family crest. Beautiful, the idea of urging people to get out of Chinese painters crafted many fan decoration their bubble. I thought of two possible creative designs. The Chinese fan dance plays a few different roles in China. It is used to outcomes: help pass down stories and traditions of Chinese culture, and to entertain, and the choreography encourages physical fitness 1) a live performance with an actor inside the and the ability to memorize routines. The pavilion in loop interpreting the different roles fans are used to accentuate the dancers’ using the fans you created movements and costumes. 2) a video tutorial playing the different characters and at the same time inviting the audience to do the same. Theatre in theatre.

We can film and transmit the videos that result from this side. It also depends on the budget to carry out this part of the project. Do you already

have an idea about this? COMMEMORATIVE All the best Mattia

Hello Mattia, Thanks for your quick reply! Both outcomes sound good, and for me this is already such a nice A JAPANESE WAR FAN or tessen (‘iron fan’) is a weaponized Japanese hand fan designed for expansion of my own scope! use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and each had a different look and What we need to do anyway is to make up a good purpose. One of the most significant uses set of characters (based on the stock characters of was as a signalling device. The commander the Commedia dell’arte) and maybe some rough would raise or lower his fan and point

. In Europe and the USA, fans were popular gifts for in different ways to issue commands to guidelines for the development of the stories (or the soldiers which would then be passed on by other forms of visible and audible some tips as mentioned in ‘The Grammar of signalling. War fans could also be used as Fantasy’). weapons. The art of fighting with war fans

Fans were often used for advertising or as SOUVENIRS guests at weddings or important public events. Churches and chapels provided Psalm- or scripture-printed fans for their congregations on especially hot days. Many fans had political cartoons or were made with specific colours to represent one’s political stance. This 1930s gloriously graphic, oversized and satin folk art fan is encrypted with 12 quotes from George Washington’s Farewell Address. is tessenjutsu. Maybe this is what we can do within the The fan is one of the complements of the FLAMENCO DANCE, especially by women during Exploratorium now, and later on we can think their interpretations. In the 19th century about how to continue to produce and perform. So fans were used by ladies of the court to send secret messages to the knights, and my question would be: can you give an example of it is precisely the use of that particular how to make the stock characters contemporary? language that caused it to become a complement to flamenco dancing, where it Bye, now plays an essential role. Thanks to the Richard use of the fan in flamenco, the dancers manage to give a special grace and style to their interpretations. Dear Richard, The great strength of the Commedia dell’arte is

in its being faithful to reality today as then: the In Japan, the paintings on folding fans are figure of the miser, the jealous person, the fool, the works of art that their owners can enjoy privately, whenever and wherever they choose. servant. And beyond this, it is the actor’s ability to With the folding fan — a canvas on which , Napoleon outlawed the Commedia make the character contemporary. carefully selected images could readily be applied and shared — it was particularly easy to depict a specific scene from a long If we work with Eleonora Fuser, a very good tale. By attaching fan paintings to folding actress of the Commedia dell’arte, we can deepen screens or collecting them in albums of paintings, people could savour the entire every character. Please let me know if we will have story. The motifs chosen with care to suit the budget to pay the actress, the technician and the the small plane have much in common with waka poetry, which expresses its subject production. in a limited number of syllables. That A PARTISAN PLATFORM Best connection led, in the late Muromachi period (1336-1573), to the development of what are Mattia called OGI NO SOSHI, ‘fan-shaped paintings with waka poems’, a genre with puzzle-solving elements in which waka poems were guessed at

based on the paintings on folding fans. During the Napoleonic occupation of Italy, instigators reform and critics used the carnival masks to hide their identities while fuelling political agendas in the performances, challenging social rule and hurling blatant insults criticisms at the regime. In 1797, in order to destroy the impromptu style of carnival as dell’arte. It was not reborn in Venice until 1979.

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The COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE is the earliest Hello Mattia, example of professional secular theatre in That is exactly what I like about the Commedia Europe characterised by improvised dialogue, the use of leather half-masks and ‘stock dell’arte, the stereotypes, the archetypes that can be character’ types. Italian in origin, it soon filled in and made contemporary, just like a good traversed much of Europe influencing the development of theatre. The plays were drawn evergreen or folk song. from ‘the private sphere of human life’, therefore universal in their details: the realities of making one’s way in the world, What I found on the internet is that there are four negotiating one’s position in the social groups, as you also mentioned, the old men, the hierarchy, attempting to fulfil desires and striving for contentment have not changed lovers, the captains and the servants – who is who? over the millennia. And in these groups, there are various characters, right? Is that a fixed number? is a stereotypical fictional person or type STOCK CHARACTER A of person in a work art such as novel, play or film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of stock characters, covering men and women of various ages, social classes demeanours. They are archetypal characters distinguished by their simplification and flatness, thus easy targets for parody, and to be criticized as clichés, but they are also an effective time- and effort-saving shortcut for story creators.

Masked characters are often referred to as ‘MASKS’. In other words, the characteristics of the character and those of the mask are the same. In spite of the obvious artifice of masks and stylization, the characters of the Commedia dell’arte were drawn from elements of real contemporary types. Many of them were Is it possible to already start thinking about a plot associated with specific cities and regions of Italy, and often expressed themselves with contemporary characters? I understand that in the local vernacular. Indeed, a good it is a lot about improvising, but I can imagine you example of this is to be found in the mask of Pantalone, the old Venetian merchant. have something in mind, to understand what the possibilities are, and how we can introduce the ‘set of fans’ to bring in the audience? All the best, Richard

16-6-2020

Commedia scenes influenced the baroque and Dear Richard, rococo lifestyle where grandiose balls took the disguise of Venetian-style MASQUERADES. As you correctly suggest, there are four characters: There we meet an implement that is closely the old men, servants, lovers and the captain. related to the fan: the mask. The Zanni of the Commedia dell’arte all wore masks as part of their typical dress. Masks and fans Each of these characters has different athletic and often serve similar purposes as one can hide oneself behind them, spy on someone movement skills. For the research, I deal with the without being seen or simply act more citizenship theatre that involves the Venetians and liberally in disguise. which is inspired by the Commedia dell’arte in a contemporary key. I can find the characters in and breeches. robe that went down to his heels, with black shoes, stockings went below the knees. Over gown, he would have a long black entirely in black. He wore a long black gown or jacket that the Bolognese scholars. Il Dottore is almost always clothed IL DOTTORE that helps the audience understand who character is. Each character in Commedia dell’arte has a distinct costume Venice today.

Initially the Commedia dell’arte was without

’s costume was a play on the academic dress of script, improvised on a canvas, the main theme, the settings and a few inputs. For the rest, it’s all improvised action with masks. Halfway through the 18th century, Carlo Goldoni innovates the theatrical characters by overcoming the limits of masks and inserting the psychological profile and behaviour of the character. In this way Goldoni portrays the society of his time in all its aspects and the

, Napoleon outlawed the Commedia characters become contemporary.

I could do the same: the servants are poor but clever. Colombina could be a waitress on the floors of a five-star hotel in Venice. And Arlecchino could be a dishwasher (who comes from outside, let’s say Bengali) who works in a kitchen of a Venetian noble

A PARTISAN PLATFORM family. He is in trouble and always hungry.

The old man is rich and stingy and I imagine he could be the owner of a Murano glass factory. During the Napoleonic occupation of Italy, instigators reform and critics used the carnival masks to hide their identities while fuelling political agendas in the performances, challenging social rule and hurling blatant insults criticisms at the regime. In 1797, in order to destroy the impromptu style of carnival as dell’arte. It was not reborn in Venice until 1979.

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The lovers are a constant hyperbole of emotions: Gianni Rodari was not only the author of the girl could be the daughter of the owner of the many beloved children’s books, but was also an educator and activist who truly glass furnace and the guy the young offspring of understood the power of the imaginative a noble family who no longer has a penny. Lovers life. In THE GRAMMAR OF FANTASY Rodari presents numerous and wonderful techniques only think of love, they are self-centred and for creating stories. He discusses these immature, and always need the help of servants; specific techniques in the context of the imagination, fairy tales, folk tales, Colombina (the maid) could work in the hotel children’s stories, cognitive development bought by the rich owner of the furnace. It is the and compassionate education. Rodari was one of the founders of the innovative plot that counts in the Commedia dell’arte. educational approach that began in Reggio Emilia, Italy. ‘The Grammar of Fantasy’ grew out of a series of informal workshops that The captain could be the father of the lover, the Rodari conducted there. father in the Venetian noble family. He speaks Spanish since he has travelled and fought. BRUNO TAUT (1880–1938) was a renowned German These six characters could all be interpreted by architect, urban planner and author. He was active during the Weimar period and is Eleonora Fuser and animated in a story like the one known for his theoretical works as well as told now in a continuous interweaving. This in my his building designs. He interpreted colour into deeper meanings in his buildings. opinion could be the architecture of the project for Early on, as Taut flirted with an artist’s you as far as theatre is concerned. career, he used colours to create elements of psychological, decorative and spatial design. For Taut, colour played a dual role: Hug, it was a ‘symbol of the new happiness’ but also spread a folksy good cheer throughout Mattia the house, inside and out. The colour palette in his book ‘Ein Wohnhaus’ (1929) forms an alphabet.

17-06-2020 action the play of to understand. the easy making exaggerated, (shujin). ky in dialogue and Movements + servant’),son Jir Tar for instance roles, include often characters. Notable are ones stock which only often 10 or contain two three often – and minutes about theatre. comic Ky Japanese KY Ō GEN

Hello Mattia, (‘mad words’ or ‘wild speech’) is of a form traditional People can see the Commedia dell’arte as a typical Western European framework … to me this form of theatre feels quite universal. I can imagine that, ō let’s say in Africa or India, there are forms of kaja literally servant, (main ‘firstborn ō

theatre based on the same principle. kaja (second servant), master the and

We can take the structure and fill it in in a way that ō gen plays are invariably brief plays are gen – it makes sense to be part of the Exploratorium. The ‘plot’ as you set out in your last email could be one, but in the future, we need more, I can imagine at least one in which plants or buildings play a role ō gen are typically are gen very (linking the project to the ‘themes’ of multispecies Although the use of various devices to is a speculative research into the signify individuals and groups goes back and multiplicity). Another plot could give shape to to antiquity, both the form and use of such the recent social discussions. devices varied widely, and the concept of regular, hereditary designs, constituting the distinguishing feature of HERALDRY, did I can create a set of fans for each plot, which allows not develop until the in Europe. It is very often claimed that the me to be more specific. use of helmets with face guards during this All the best, period made it difficult to recognize one’s commanders in the field when large armies Richard gathered together for extended periods, necessitating the development of heraldry

as a symbolic language. THE PARLIAMENT OF THINGS emancipation of animals, plants and things. What if we welcome all things into our Parliament, not centred around humans, but around Life? What would be the plight of planet? The reasoning of a fish? What claims would trees make, and what future would oil see for itself? ‘The Parliament of Things’ designs a ritual, which transforms attendants into mountain, a forest, goldfish – you name it and enables them to speak by means of the communication-techniques provided.

Obaakofoo Mmu represents new , which is woven in Emaa Da KENTE

In June 2016, New York–based artist Chloe Piene held a Familienaufstellung performance in Vienna, Austria. FAMILY CONSTELLATION is a form of therapy 19-06-2020 developed in the 1990s by the German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger with roots in existential psychology, Gestalt Dear Richard, psychology and psychodynamic therapy. Piene invited people to play the roles of her Sorry if my tone seems more practical than usual, real family members, both alive and dead, including the artist Matthew Barney as her

but honestly, at the moment, a creation work of symbolizes democratic governance, and brother, and actress Petra Morse of the

this level of commitment, as you propose, is very Textile art of the Akan in Ghana has important mythological and ceremonial significance, especially the narrow strips by master weavers using a complex technique called ‘floating fabric’ to achieve the unique designs. The names of patterns represent historical anecdotes associated with the oral tradition of the Akan. For example, pattern Man creativity and knowledge from experience. National Theatre in Vienna as her mother.

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Wayang (Javanese: ‘shadow’), a classical demanding for me. I mean, I need time, energy and Javanese puppet drama, that uses the budget, because I cannot work alone in different shadows thrown by puppets manipulated by rods against a translucent screen lit from plots and themes that are so far from my figure and behind. Developed before the 10th century, from my poetics. the form had origins in the thalubomalata, the leather puppets of southern India. WAYANG GOLEK uses a set of 60–70 puppets, In any case, I think that the most important thing which do not always portray specific characters, but are stock types, the for me is to plan a live performance in the future. puppets thus being interchangeable. This is certainly more interesting for my work and also for yours. What do you think about it? I wait for your point of view. Sincerely, Mattia

Today the SANDAE MASKED PLAY is performed by villagers in Korea. Masks cover either the whole head or the face and are made from paper or gourds, or are occasionally carved from wood. They are boldly painted to represent the stock characters of the play: monks, shaman, noblemen, young dancing girl and others, staging satiric dialogue plays that hold officialdom up to ridicule. exaggerated, making the action the play of to understand. the easy making exaggerated, (shujin). ky in dialogue and Movements + servant’),son Jir Tar for instance roles, include often characters. Notable are ones stock which only often 10 or contain two three often – and minutes about theatre. comic Ky Japanese KY Ō GEN (‘mad words’ or ‘wild speech’) is of a form traditional

20-06-2020 ō kaja literally servant, (main ‘firstborn Dear Mattia, ō

kaja (second servant), master the and Thanks for your email … To be honest, I don’t know. I am not the person to decide on a performance at the

ō vernissage and I have no clue about the budgets ... gen plays are invariably brief plays are gen – We can keep it in this stage of concept and find out all of this later. I would definitely like to continue and to create the plots with you, design the fans and stage the performances! ō between gods, ancestors and humans gen are typically are gen very For now, let me create a foundation for this, based on all the sources I collected. As you might know, I run my own imaginary museum for graphic design, called The Palace of Typographic Masonry, whose aim is to make a plea for the splendour and variety INTERMEDIARY ROLE of graphic languages. It is a place where the intrinsic values of graphic design can be stored and cherished, a collective building that is entirely devoted to the During the 17th century, Turkish shadow theatre spread along the northern shores of Africa. The ‘storytellers with their picture boxes’ and little glove puppets transformed the very notion of puppet through richness its forms and functions. The distinction is often made between the sacred and the profane when it comes to African puppets. They often play an caught in the hardships of existence. On other hand, many puppets were used to entertain the public, thus mingling with the profane. craft’s abundance, poetry and digressions. Indian theatre is one of the most ancient forms of Asian theatre and it features detailed textual, sculptural and dramatic I would like to create a new addition to this building, effects. An appreciation for the stagecraft which I will call ‘The Unfolding Arch of Forging and classic SANSKRIT DRAMA was seen as an essential part of a sophisticated world Fantasy’, in the Department of Play, dedicated to the view by the end of the seventh century. fanning out of connections between social codes, Its drama is regarded as the highest achievement of Sanskrit literature. It imaginative techniques, stock characters, play, etc. used stock characters, such as the hero This is because these are the ingredients to create (nayaka), heroine (nayika) or clown (vidusaka). ‘magic circles’, to design the possibilities to be able to safely empathize, to create social souplesse. I just read in Silvio Lorusso’s book ‘Entreprecariat’ (2019): ‘In actual fact, real flexibility is in itself a product of stability: bushes bend in the wind precisely because their roots are sunk firmly in the earth.’ We should invest in a safe and inviting common ground.

PUNCH AND JUDY is a traditional puppet show featuring Mr Punch and his wife Judy. As the governor of The Palace of Typographic The performance consists of a sequence of Masonry I will write a short introduction to this short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically Mr collection and invite everyone to admire and Punch and one other character who usually study it. Stage one of this fascinating journey of falls victim to Punch’s slapstick. The cast is similar to that of a soap opera the Exploratorium ends here, and I will design a or a folk tale: the principal characters silkscreened poster to share the results of this path. must appear, but the lesser characters are included at the discretion of the I hope we will continue, but for now I will say performer. New characters may be added and goodbye, older characters dropped as the tradition changes. Richard

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Welcome to the Department of Play, from different worlds, because what in ‘The Unfolding Arch of Forging do codes, fans and theatre have in Fantasy’ to be precise. Play is common? More than you think: the an activity outside ordinary daily story opens up in the connections activities, in which one or more humans between the ceremonial fans and the (and even non-humans) can participate, coded signals, between the masked game as entertainment or ritual, with often and the portable status markers, and an uncertain outcome. between the language of the pattern and the moving alphabets, the fans as The graphic designer can form an canvas and inviting stock characters. inviting magical circle that you want to step into to participate, to think They are the instruments of a along and join the discussion about fantastic orchestra that only needs issues of all kinds. In this section a signal to start playing together. of The Palace of Typographic Masonry, ‘Play brings,’ said Johan Huizinga in the designer’s ability to titillate and Homo Ludens (1938), ‘into an imperfect manipulate the viewers’ perceptions world, into the confusion of life, and responses seamlessly flows into a temporary, limited perfection.’ their engagement in a form of living In the space of this interplay, the culture – regardless of how serious associative chain reactions begin from this game’s stakes are. which alternatives to the status quo can arise. This is in sharp contrast In ‘The Grammar of Fantasy’ (1973), to what Huizinga calls ‘cheating’, Gianni Rodari argues that stories lie a (in our time very recognizable) precisely in the connections between childishness that with ‘the easily objects or concepts that belong to satisfied but never saturated need completely different worlds, and for banal scattering, the longing for seemingly have nothing to do with each gross sensation and the desire for other. He therefore calls for being mass display’ actually leads to social adventurous and finding connections rigidity. in apparently absurd combinations. To use experience, memory, fantasy and ‘The Unfolding Arch of Forging the unconscious to cause unexpected, Fantasy’ is a plea to shape conditions associative chain reactions. ‘Reality for playing together, and to give can be entered through the main door, ritual, imagination and play a or it can be slipped into through a sustainable place in our society. With window, which is much more fun.’ the 36 objects and concepts collected here, The Palace of Typographic Schools have traditionally degraded Masonry hopes to ignite the fire of the imagination, which means that imagination that has not yet been memory and ‘unshakeable’ knowledge extinguished: the inviting magic can be valued much more highly. After circle is a value for survival. all, children are being prepared to take a place in a fully measurable and inescapably pre-programmed world in which we no longer have to imagine. As Naomi Klein put it in a recent interview, ‘Perhaps one of the most significant effects of the neoliberal era is the current lack of imagination, creating the idea that the status quo is inevitable – the same thing Margaret Thatcher wanted to achieve with her slogan “There is no alter native!”

In Japan, folding fans are seen as auspicious objects that symbolize happiness, as they expand when opened, unfolding the future possibilities. This is also the case in ‘The Unfolding Arch of Forging Fantasy’ where a fascinating collection has been brought together, indeed objects

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I often compare my research method or my creative process in general to this Taoist magic diagram (Taoist magic is a magical use of calligraphy). The process is not linear but chaotic, looping, labyrinthical and beautiful.

In this track I left to investigate the communicative value of the fan, but I encountered many more sources, but I try to find – in line with Godari’s writing – connections between objects or concepts that belong to completely different worlds.

In this sometimes inimitable tangle there were some key moments for me. When I was appointed to Mattia Berto, the door opened to less obvious sources too. The almost coincidental discovery of him holding Gianni Rodari’s booklet in his hand on a website when I googled him added again another layer. Actually everything I found during my track accumulated into this entanglement of meaning.

I discovered how fans, but also theater forms and coded systems play an intertwined role in almost all societies of the world. As is always the case when I am completely absorbed by a subject, this made me really enthousiastic and I sensed a deep urgency that the current lack of imagination, lucidity and play that leads to social stiffness – following Johan Huizinga’s demonstration of the importance of the play element of culture and society – needs to be countered. I am determined to take this with me in my future work.

Besides this, I hope to continue follow this trail based on the findings so far and to distill this, in collaboration with others, into an actual playful tool to create this inviting and unfolding magic circle.

VFS_Cahier2.indb 144 27/11/2020 10:01 145 THE UNFOLDING ARCH 14 circulation.” is refined through the system of internal Taoist technique for increasing Vital Energy through Taoist self-cultivation. The chief which accumulates at the top of head This ting symbolizes the ch’i (Vital Energy) means the button a Taoist wears on his cap. ting-men, mean ‘Summit gate’. Ting also The characters at the foot of diagram, follows: “The Blessed Union of Yin and Yang. The description of this diagram is as

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