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Book from the Ground: from point to point (Mit Press),Used
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A book without words, recounting a day in the life of an office worker, told completely in the symbols, icons, and logos of modern life.Twenty years ago I made Book from the Sky, a book of illegible Chinese characters that no one could read. Now I have created Book from the Ground, a book that anyone can read.Xu BingFollowing his classic work Book from the Sky, the Chinese artist Xu Bing presents a new graphic novelone composed entirely of symbols and icons that are universally understood. Xu Bing spent seven years gathering materials, experimenting, revising, and arranging thousands of pictograms to construct the narrative of Book from the Ground. The result is a readable story without words, an account of twentyfour hours in the life of Mr. Black, a typical urban whitecollar worker.Our protagonist's day begins with wakeup calls from a nearby bird and his bedside alarm clock; it continues through toothbrushing, coffeemaking, TVwatching, and catfeeding. He commutes to his job on the subway, works in his office, ponders various fastfood options for lunch, waits in line for the bathroom, daydreams, sends flowers, socializes after work, goes home, kills a mosquito, goes to bed, sleeps, and gets up the next morning to do it all over again. His day is recounted with meticulous and intimate detail, and reads like a postmodern, posttextual riff on James Joyce's account of Bloom's peregrinations in Ulysses. But Xu Bing's narrative, using an exclusively visual language, could be published anywhere, without translation or explication; anyone with experience in contemporary lifeanyone who has internalized the icons and logos of modernity, from smiley faces to transit maps to menuscan understand it.
⚠️ WARNING (California Proposition 65):
This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
For more information, please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
- Q: What is the main theme of 'Book from the Ground'? A: The main theme of 'Book from the Ground' is a day in the life of an office worker, depicted entirely through symbols, icons, and logos, making it universally understandable without the need for words.
- Q: Who is the author of 'Book from the Ground'? A: The author of 'Book from the Ground' is Xu Bing, a renowned Chinese artist known for his innovative use of visual language.
- Q: What is the format of this book? A: 'Book from the Ground' is published in paperback format and contains 128 pages.
- Q: When was 'Book from the Ground' published? A: 'Book from the Ground' was published on November 6, 2018.
- Q: Is 'Book from the Ground' suitable for all ages? A: Yes, 'Book from the Ground' is suitable for readers of all ages as it does not contain any text and relies solely on visual storytelling.
- Q: What is the significance of the symbols used in the book? A: The symbols used in 'Book from the Ground' represent common experiences and daily routines, allowing readers from different backgrounds to relate to the story without language barriers.
- Q: Can 'Book from the Ground' be understood by non-English speakers? A: Yes, 'Book from the Ground' can be understood by non-English speakers as it uses a universal visual language that transcends linguistic differences.
- Q: What type of artwork is included in 'Book from the Ground'? A: 'Book from the Ground' features a variety of pictograms and icons that Xu Bing meticulously arranged to tell the story of a typical urban worker's day.
- Q: How does 'Book from the Ground' compare to Xu Bing's earlier work, 'Book from the Sky'? A: 'Book from the Ground' contrasts with 'Book from the Sky' by using recognizable symbols instead of illegible characters, emphasizing accessibility and universal understanding.
- Q: What kind of experience can readers expect from 'Book from the Ground'? A: Readers can expect a unique visual narrative that invites them to interpret the story through imagery, engaging them in a postmodern exploration of daily life.