(mis-)translation club

"The original is unfaithful to the translation" (Jorge Luis Borges)

According to this motto, the (mis-)translation club embarks on a seemingly impossible endeavour: analysing a book that is written in a language we don't understand.

At the beginning of the workshop, we will make a field trip to several foreign language book stores in Berlin where we can encounter different writing systems and languages. How does our perception of a book change, if we don’t understand the language? Each participant will find a single book written in a language they don't understand. This will be the starting point of their work.

In the next step, the participants will analyse their books. Since the books will be written in a language the participants don't understand, they will have to have to get creative in how to do this. For example, they could focus on non-language aspects, like material, photography, layout or letter-forms. They could also try to translate the book using technology or help from other participants. The process of analysis will be like an experimental form of "book review" resulting in a new graphic work.

On the last day of the workshop, we will prepare an exhibition of these "book reviews" and the books themselves at the Common Imprint Reading Room in Berlin Mitte.

Bernd Grether studied graphic design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd. He works on editorial design and visual identities. From 2015 to 2021 he taught in the Information Design class of Prof. David Skopec at University of Arts Berlin.

berndgrether.de

 

Sam Kim is a graphic designer who is specialized in the design and art direction of visual identities. He works with a focus on strong visual language and systematic implementation. His projects are often developed in close collaboration with the client, from the initial concept to the final realization. He studied at the UdK in the class of Visual Systems from 2011–2016. Currently, he is working as a freelance designer based in Berlin and Hamburg.

www.samkim.de

 

 

Born in 1986, graphic designer Dokho Shin has been working as a freelance designer since he graduated from Dankook University with a major in Visual Communication Design. He enjoys working with various artists and designers in the cultural field. He is running a publishing house, The Floorpan focusing on art/culture-related publications with colleagues, and he is also working as an editor/designer for GRAPHIC magazine. He has been working based in Berlin since 2017.

www.shindokho.kr

https://www.instagram.com/shindokho/