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THE CHINESE
FARMER
The brief was to design a book and typeset a short story that we had found through research. I chose a short story by Allan Watts called The Chinese Farmer. At the end of the story Watts suggests that we can never be sure of the consequences of good or bad fortune. The outcome of good or bad fortune is not always correspondingly good or bad. I wanted to communicate this split by invoking a sense of duality into the publication. The solution came through use of different stock, imagery and choice of binding. The binding is something I developed myself, gluing concertina pages to either side of the covers, this consequently splits the book into two. Another decision I made was to make the book somewhat mysterious, as the meaning behind the story Watts told only becomes apparent right at the end. I wanted the full meaning behind this publication to become apparent after one had spent time with it and got to understand it. This was achieved by typesetting the story into multiple languages as well as not including a title or any obvious start to the publication. One must work with the book before one can fully understand the book. The publication became not only a story but a physical representation of Watts’ meaning behind his story. The publication was also a homage to Allan Watts as I felt my research into the man should be exhibited. |
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