Chen Wei's work was designed for the engraving and ink-leaving incense exhibition hall of the Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an.
Chen Wei at work
The confusion of the newcomer
I've always considered myself lucky to have tried design in college, and I continued to choose the path of design during my studies. If the design is done well, there will be a sense of accomplishment, and if there is a sense of accomplishment, you will like the design, and if you like it, you can continue to do it, as if you should do it in your own darkness.
When I first came to France, some of the people and things here somewhat shattered my previous fantasies, as if I had "Paris Syndrome". But gradually, when I learned what some French people thought of Chinese, I was also surprised that we were separated by not only more than ten hours of voyages, but also the distance between some words stuck in the depths of our minds and becoming reality, which made me feel some shock. As the language adapted, I realized that direct and effective expression was precious, especially important for communicating and understanding each other, and this was also permeated with my design philosophy.
I believe that for all international students, there will be a stage of adaptation after entering a new cultural environment. "I am Chinese" "I am with the French, the Americans, the British... What's the difference? "These seemingly simple questions, I can't give a satisfactory answer."
To my shame, the more foreigners I came into contact with, the more I felt that I knew too little about my own culture. They will, and they will understand what I know, and every time they introduce themselves, "I am Chinese," there is no follow-up. In the face of my bloodline, my heritage, I can't say anything more to introduce, which makes me feel very uneasy.
People in foreign countries sometimes feel more deeply about the cultural symbols on their bodies. Later, I slowly understood that many Chinese traditions, Chinese customs, and Chinese culture that I took for granted, or even immersed in, that I did not realize, just shaped my national identity. To give a simple example, when I was in China, I did not like to drink tea, I felt that the process was cumbersome, and it was better to be happy than holding a cup of milk tea. But when I went abroad to study later, when I drank tea with My French friends, the whole process of my tea making, serving tea, and tasting tea made them feel surprised and interesting. "The art of tea making is fantastic," a French friend praised. At that time, I had a strong sense of pride – a pride in inheriting Chinese culture. I realized that international students themselves are an important channel in cross-cultural exchange, and my every move may also affect the impression of China by foreign friends around me.
Multicultural conversations
I have designed the engraving and ink-leaving incense exhibition hall of the Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an, and it is one of my favorite works, inspired by the font of the stone carvings in the Forest of Steles. This design uses the Beilin font as a symbol, and the material produced is mirror cardboard, which is illuminated by light, and the text will produce ghosting of the font silhouette and glyph reflection on the wall and veil, and many fonts are hung in it, and the light and shadow are staggered, and the words are haloed. The font changes from flat to three-dimensional, and the visual light and shadow experience becomes extremely rich. I want to convey the message through these symbols: if we compare them to the history of inscriptions as a whole, what we try to pay attention to and learn may be only one glimpse, and we must always maintain a curiosity, humility, and awe.
When studying design abroad, you sometimes encounter differences and even conflicts between "cultural symbols". Everyone as a whole is trying to express it, eager to be recognized. Conflicts between different cultures are mainly due to misunderstandings and mutual incomprehension, and the most direct and effective way to resolve misunderstandings is to express them in words that everyone can understand.
Many times the culture is not common, different cultural backgrounds will largely make different people have a bias or even misunderstanding of the same thing, which needs to be explained from many aspects such as history, culture, and system. I believe that culture has power, and design is to amplify and display the power of culture itself, and let people feel this power through works, and people's feelings are connected.
For me, design, culture, and art are all historians of the times. As designers, our job is to reorganize and then express our feelings in the present, to amplify those deep, special, and beloved feelings that we have, and then integrate them into the work.
Each of us can be a recorder of the times, a participant and a creator of the times. Perhaps, the next time we see a refreshing design, we can stop the rush and have a conversation with this era and multiculturalism.
(The author is a graduate student of the Bruc École des Arts et des Arts et des Arts and Designs, France)