N a n k i n L a b M a g a z i n e • S p e c i a l C h a u m o n t F e s t i v a l 2 0 1 3 • N u m b e r Tw o : T h e P r o j e c t
Nankin Mag nº2 1
This major project defines itself as a creation of an experimental design laboratory. It has the a im of using destruction as a constructive weapon. The results of various experiments and documented trials were initally backed up scientifically but later on gave way to creative uses. 2
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There is nothing new in a self-ordered project of this kind, there are plenty of similar works done before. If you can not find the supreme client, you must become it.
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Why Nankin? In the city Nankin (China) a tower was built made almost totally by porcelain. The tower was built at the beginnings of the XV century, commanded during the reign of the Yongle Emperor. It was maintained in perfect conditions for almost four centuries, until a bad day during 1801 a lightning hit the top of the tower destroying the top three storeys. Against any forecast the citizens of Nankin completely rebuilt the damages assuming the entire cost of the destruction, and even improving the tower. From then on, thousands of rebellions and wars continuously destroyed the building, being rebuilt over again by the inhabitants. Finally, Taiping rebellion ended with the town of Nankin, making it impossible to build anything again and turning into debris the already legendary Porcelain Tower.
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During 2010, the wealthy businessman Wang Jianlin donated a thousand million Yuan (around 125 millions euros) destined to rebuild the tower. There’s no time estimated for the new construction, just the locals’ certainty that soon it will rise again stronger than ever.
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The visual identity of the studio focuses on the first idea of Tangram graphic destruction with malleable sans serif fonts and a bold color harmony as main ingredients. The Tangram was a good way to start playing with the fonts deconstruction but we were looking for a purest concept of destruction. Tangram has a very geometrical cuts and was far away from the concept of caos we were looking for.
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We had a brand system, but we still needed a innocent hand to create destruction patterns. We found it soon.
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Nankin Lab is a design studio which works within these moments to generate new projects. 16
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We are Nankin Lab and we believe in destruction as a weapon of construction. 19
I HAVE BEEN SERIES 20
Under the name “I Have Been Series” we’ve produced a variety of posters, which as the name suggests “they have been” in different places during certain period of time. The key point is the graphic redundancy of the project: on one hand, the typography explains where the poster has been exposed (before being framed), and on the other hand, the erosion of the poster makes a direct reference to the space and time at which it has been exposed. Thus, one view reinforces the other explaining it differently but in a complementary manner.
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N a n k i n L a b M a g a z i n e • S p e c i a l C h a u m o n t F e s t i v a l 2 0 1 3 • N u m b e r Tw o : T h e P r o j e c t w w w. n a n k i n l a b . c o m O r g a n i z e d b y E c o l e s a u Tr a v a i l , F e s t i v a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l d e l ’ a f f i c h e e t d u g r a p h i s m e Collaborating with Elisava School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona