Artistic writing: a visit to Xu Bing’s studio
Chinese conceptual artist Xu Bing has spent years creating his own writing system. Many of his works are concerned with the relationship between writing, pictures and meaning. For his brick design he took Latin letters from a German translation of a poem from the Song dynasty and modified them to make them look like Chinese characters
One word corresponds to one character. He had the brick, which was originally made of polystyrene, covered in concrete, and wrote the poem on one of its sides. The poem is by Lu You (1125–1210) and laments the separation of a couple that is reunited only years later.
钗头凤
Phoenix Pin
红酥手，
Lily hands,
黄縢酒，
sealed yellow wine,
满城春色宫墙柳。
the town is filled with spring. Willows at the palace wall.
东风恶，
Biting east wind,
欢情薄，
love is weak,
一怀愁绪，
a chest full of sorrow,
几年离索，
years of separation,
错，错，错。
wrong, wrong, wrong!
