Book+from+the+Sky--Xu+Bing

//Book from the Sky,// Xu Bing. China, 1987-1991, installation, dimensions variable. Three different versions of the installation are in the collections of Queensland Art Gallery, Hong Kong Museum, Ludwig Museum. Individual sets of books are in the collections of Princeton University, Harvard University, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, The British Museum (Brooklyn Artists Alliance, []).
 * //Book from the Sky// (//Tianshu//) by Xu Bin**
 * Identification**

**Introduction** Xu Bing was born in the city of Chongqing, in Sichuan Province of China in February of 1955. Language is a reoccurring theme in Xu Bing's work. His most famous work, and arguably one of the most influential and important work of the 20th century, //Book from the Sky//, investigates the Chinese language. Using a very traditional wood block printing method, Xu Bing created 4,000 unique logogram symbols. While the logograms all contain many characteristics of traditional Chinese characters, the characters themselves have no actual meaning. Many Chinese critics have criticized this installation because they feel Xu Bing's work displays a deliberate lack of meaning.

Xu Bing's //Book From the Sky// is an installation that displays more than 400 hand-printed books, propped open on specially designed wooden mounts, positioned in perfectly aligned rows, side by side, across the ground. Little space exists between the books from side to side. More space separates, and visually creates, each row of books. Two open books, centered perpendicularly on both ends of the rows, present the most space (nearly the length of one page) between one another. Each book contains a series of different logograms like a regular Chinese book. Books were printed in black ink from a hand carved wooden block. Even though they are composed of recognizable elements, they are not legible as conventional linguistic signs (Abe, 1998, p.171). The handmade books are all made with authentic Chinese typesetting, binding and stringing techniques, and are printed in the style of Chinese outdoor newspapers (Doran, 2001). Scrolls which hold the same logograms as the books create an inverted dome across the entire length of the ceiling above the books. Scrolls are also mounted vertically, like wallpaper, on the surrounding walls. The scrolls, and the books, extend over fifty feet.
 * Descriptive Analysis**



Xu Bing, after having spent long periods studying traditional Chinese printing methods, settled on a typographic style perfected during the[|Song Dynasty] (960-1279 CE), similar to Gothic style serix fonts giving it an archaic quality. Bing also spent much time researching calligraphy, ancient characters, and the history of books before begining the work (Leung, 1999, p.89). Xu Bing originally titled his creation //A Mirror to Analyse the World: The Last Book of the End of the Century// (Xi shi jian - shiji mo zhuan) but artists and critics came to refer to it as //Tianshu//, which can be translated from Mandarin either as "book from the sky" or, more literally, "heavenly book" (Doran, 2001).
 * Formal and Contextual Analysis**

When //Book from the Sky// was first exhibited in Beijing in October of 1988, in conjunction with a solo exhibit by fellow Academy professor Lu Shengzhong, it was only half completed. Neither was it completely finished for the "China/Avant Garde" exhibition in 1989 (Smith, 2006, p.346). //Book from the Sky// was severely criticized in China, it was called a "bad work by a model teacher." It was seen as a mockery to the tradition of the intricate and elitist qualities of the classical language of the Middle Kingdom. Although it was not apparent to the native speakers of Mandarin in mainland China, whose general levels of education had been lowered by Mao's doctrines and policies, the logograms used in the work are meaningless (Smith, 2006, p.346). "When all these educated people first saw //Book from the Sky// in China they were shocked," says Xu Bing. "Here they were in an environment of high scholarly culture, in their own element, and they couldn't read the words. They had suddenly become illiterate" (Doran, 2001). When //Book from the Sky// was revealed as being "fake", Xu Bing was accused of being guilty of making people appear foolish and ignorant. It was a reminder to the mainland officials and general audience of their limited levels of education, because everyone perceived Xu Bing's text to be real (Smith, 2006, p.346). The work also resulted in Xu Bing losing favor with the Communist government of the People's Republic of China.

It is with this understanding of the initial feedback of Xu Bing's //Book from the Sky//, that it is relevant to illustrate that Xu Bing was not the first contemporary Chinese artist to use fake characters in creating an avant-garde art piece. One of Xu Bing's more well known peers, Wenda Gu, created several works utilizing fake characters, including //Pseudo Seal-Script// (see below). The goal of utilizing the fake characters for Wenda Gu's work was to remove content from the body of the art work, and "leaving (the) form as the sole signifier of meaning." (Hung 1999, p.39) Gu, similar to Bing, was hired as an associate professor from his school of graduation, and was also heavily influenced by the 1980's New Wave movement in China. But Gu, like Bing, was extremely dissatisfied with the heavy borrowing of Western styles by Chinese artists at the time (Hung 1999, p.39). As a result, Gu began to experiment with the concept of using fake Chinese characters to express Chinese influence upon art, while at the same time utilizing this method of anti-writing to keep focus upon the form of the piece, rather than allowing words to draw the viewers attention elsewhere, and as a result, became the first Chinese contemporary artist to formally exhibit work based on this concept. And interestingly, like Bing, Gu's works were influenced by Mao and the Cultural Revolution, albeit in different form than for Bing as is discussed below. Gu, who was exposed to many Cultural Revolution political [|posters] during his youth, drew an unusual amount of inspiration from them for the creation of his fake characters, as what they (the Cultural Revolution artists) "created for those posters was full of the emotions they believed in" (Gu, Artzinechina 2008, [|Link] ). And since a large number of the peasants and workers who saw these posters could not read, the posters purpose was to use characters and writing which people potentially could not understand along with powerful images together to create a work of art that inspired emotion, similar to the end result of viewing Gu's works, and also Bing's //Book from the Sky//.

Xu Bing offers that the work expresses his doubt of cultural authority on a larger level. Growing up during the unstable Cultural Revolution and subsequent reform in China has led him to examine the reliability of knowledge. He experienced how language can be manipulated to serve the needs of the people in power. As an adolescent, Bing was forced to learn and relearn different characters for the same word, as a result of an educational reform established by Mao. The efforts to rebuild China, after the [|Cultural Revolution], to meet the needs of a global economy, has raised issues like what is the value of tradition in a modern society. By creating a piece of work in a traditional manner that has no meaning, Bing examines the connection between tradition and modernity.

After the showing of //Book from the Sky// as part of "China/Avant Garde" in 1989, one of the teachers at the Central Academy (Yang Chengyin) attacked Xu Bing in an article published in Cultural News (Wenyi Bao), likening him to a character in an old Chinese folk tale who is lost in the dark and can only "wander in ever-narrowing circles forced inwards upon himself like a ghost pounding the wall" (Smith, 2006, p.337). Other critics "felt that this most solemn, meticulous exercise in absurdity amounted to a devastating deconstruction of Chinese language, culture, tradition, and indeed meaning itself" (Lu, 1997, p.92). And while domestically, in China, criticism continued to ring out against Bing's first major work, internationally, attention was being drawn to the fact that //Book from the Sky// allowed visitors to "to meditate on and mediate the cultural interface between China and the West" (Lu, 1997, p.95). Xu Bing has stated, "'The reason why people have so many reactions to //Book from the Sky// is because it doesn't say anything. Officials decided that if my works had no meaning then I was deliberately not saying anything, which made them uncomfortable. Their argument was that meaningless was the biggest problem of modern art as they saw it. Of course, the fact that it had no meaning made it ridiculous, like black humor. I came to feel that I'd devoted four years just to make one joke: now that is humorous." (Smith, 2006, p.336).

And while part of the severe criticism suffered by Xu Bing in China was due to the perception that the work was about nothing, one of the ironies surrounding his international success has been that //Book from the Sky// embodies a particularly Chinese approach to culture (Leung, 1999, p.91). In addition, Bing notes that "Chinese audiences lose part of the meaning, and Western audiences lose another part, but each side gets the part that the other doesn't" (Leung, 1999, p.91), further adding to the mysterious nature of the piece, but offering a glimpse into the different mindsets of Eastern and Western audiences.





__On-line sources__: [] //--XuBing.com is an artist's webpage with a personal biography and artworks divided by year.//
 * References**

"Xu Bing." [|http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjecACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=581] //--This website provides a brief biography of Xu Bing.//

"Xu Bing's A Book from the Sky." [] //--This website is a part of PBS’s culture shock series and focuses in particular on Xu Bing’s Book from the Sky.//

[] //--This website provides a brief biography and detailed criticism of Book from the Sky.//

__[]__ Artzine provides a basic biography as well as images of several of Xu Bing’s works and a history of his exhibitions.

[] This site offers a brief biography and modern criticism of Xu Bing’s //Book from the Sky.//

[] This site offers a interview with Gu Wenda over his use of fake characters in his art.

<[]> This site is the homepage of the Brooklyn Artists Alliance. The images of Xu Bing's works are presented with a brief introduction.

__Printed sources__: Abe, Stanley K. (1998) "Modern Chinese Literary and Cultural Studies in the Age of Theory: Reimagining a Field." //Boundary 2//, 25 (3), 169-192. //This article discusses the interplay of traditional Chinese culture and post-modernism in Xu Bing’s Book from the Sky.//

Doran, Valerie C. "Xu Bing: A Logos for the Genuine Experience." //Orientations//. Internet Edition. Oct. 2001.  //Provides detailed information about the creation process and artistic intent of Book from the Sky and other works by Xu Bing.//

Harper, Glenn. (2003) Exterior From Interior Substance: A Conversation with Xu Bing. //Sculpture (Washington, D.C.). 22(1):46-51.// A conversation with the artist. Provides information on the artist's background and his ideas and methods behind the work.

Hung, Wu. "Anti-Writing," //Transcience, Chinese Experimental Art at the End of the Twentieth Century//. Chicago: University of Chicago Press and the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, 1999, 36-41. An article that breaks down the history and use of fake characters or Anti Writing in Chinese art.

Leung, Simon. (1999) "Pseudo-Languages: A Conversation with Wenda Gu, Xu Bing, and Jonathan Hay" //Art Journal,// 58.3, 87-99. In this article Leung and Kaplan explores the use of the Chinese language in the works of several artists. Lu, Sheldon Hsiao-Peng. (1997) "Global Post Modernization: The Intellectual, The Artist, and China's Condition" //Boundary 2//, 24.3, 65-97.

Lui, Claire. (2004) "Being and Nothingness" //Print (New York, N.Y.).// 58 (2) 90-5. Describes the artist's ideas on the power and importance of language. Provides short history on the artist's interest in language.

Smith, Karen. "//Nine Lives: The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New China."// Scalo, Beijing, China. 2006. In her book, Karen Smith focuses on how the Chinese avant-garde artists reshaped their home country while drastically changing their own lives.

Title:** Language of Power
 * Art Lesson 1
 * Grade Level**: high school
 * Time**: 4 class periods (50 minutes each)

This lesson meets the following [|National Standards for Arts Education]: VA 9-12.1 Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes (Advanced: 2) VA 9-12.3 Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas (Advanced: 1 & 2) VA 9-12.4 Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures (Proficient: 2) VA 9-12.5 Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others (Proficient: 1& 2, Advanced: 1)
 * Standards**:

This lesson meets the following [|National Educational Technology Standards for Students]: for students: 1. Creativity and Innovation (a) 2. Communication and Collaboration (a) 3. Research and Information Fluency (b, d) 5. Digital Citizenship (a, b) 6. Technology Operations and Concepts (a, b)

• the manipulation of language for the purpose of those in power • the roles of language within a culture: communication, control, power, manipulation, and interruption of thinking • the impact of the history of China, specifically the Cultural Revolution, has on Chinese people (manifested through the meaning of Book From the Sky)
 * Central** **Concepts**:

1. Go to Xu Bing’s official website (http://www.xubing.com/). First, explore the site, particularly his Projects page, familiarizing yourself with Book From the Sky and Square Calligraphy Classroom. Read the article (the link for it is located on the Text page): “Being and Nothingness” by Claire Lui. Answer the following questions as you read the article (type them up in a Word document so that you can easily copy and paste your responses onto your blog in step 4):
 * Activity**:

• How did Xu Bing’s background impact his work, specifically Book From the Sky? Think about the history of China that he experienced including the Cultural Revolution and Post-Cultural Revolution.

• How can written words be used to serve the people in power? Provide examples from the article and from your experience.

• What elements of Book From the Sky are authentic to Chinese tradition? What elements are invented by the artist?

• In an interview Xu Bing says: “No matter what outer form my works take, they are linked by a common thread, which is to construct some obstacle to people’s habitual ways of thinking – what I call the ‘cognitive structures’ of the mind.” In what ways did Book From the Sky challenge people’s preconceived notions of language?

As a class, we will discuss the answers to these questions.

2. Similar to the way propaganda posters plastered cities in China during the Cultural Revolution (you read about it in the article, “Being and Nothingness”), advertisements saturate our everyday lives from billboards to magazines to television. In both situations written text is manipulated in order to serve the purpose of the people in power. In the case of advertising, the companies assert their influence over the consumer. In reference to the Cultural Revolution, Bing says, “At that time you really felt the power of words.” What power do advertisements have over us as consumers? What relationship does the written text have to the visual image? We will discuss these questions as a class.

3. Find a popular advertisement that incorporates both visual images and written language. Think about: What is the advertisement saying? Who is the audience? How are they trying to influence the consumer? What are they not telling you about the product or service?

Now think about how the meaning would be different if you changed the text. Decide how you want to change the text to reveal the hidden messages of the product or service or change the meaning altogether.

Scan your advertisement at 72 dpi. Use Photoshop to remove the old text and/or add your new text. Save your Photoshop file as a .jpg at the “maximum” quality setting so that it can be uploaded to your blog in Step 3.

__**Answer the following questions to form a statement for your advertisement (type it up in a Word document so that you can easily copy and paste it onto your blog in step 4):**__ What is the advertisement saying? Who is the audience? How are they trying to influence the consumer? What are they not telling you about the product or service? How do you know? How did you change the text to create a new meaning?

4. Write a blog and post it at the Blogger website I have made for you (this will be set up by the teacher for the implementation of the lesson). For safety reasons, remember to never use your full name. Your blog should include the following items: the answers to the questions in step 1, the answers to the questions in step 3, and an image of your re-created advertisement. Once you have created your blog, you are required to comment on at least two other people’s blogs, offering feedback and constructive criticism. To find out what a blog is and how to set it up, go to http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g.

Article Questions: (10 points) o responses are complete and well thought out o responses reflect an understanding of the article o free of errors
 * Assessment Criteria:**

Statement Accompanying Advertisements: (10 points) o ½-1 page in length o addresses all of the required questions o statement is clear and well thought out

Advertisement: (10 points) o quality: resolution of image o new text: creativity and new meaning (hidden messages) o Photoshop skills: new and/or altered text looks as if it were part of the original advertisement

Blogging: (10 points) o posted blog and comments on time o posted at least two comments on different blogs, which include complete thoughts and are helpful and meaningful o blog includes all of the requirements: article responses, advertisement image, and statement for advertisement