Taca

Begründung der Jury

★★★
China /// China
★★★

The design duo’s sensitivity to materials translates photographer Taca Sui’s poetic work into a singular book object. Although this mode of publication departs markedly from conventional reading formats, it proves all the more apt for the photographer’s project.

Nine folders provide the structural framework for the large-format photographs. The choice of paper – with its deliberately deckled edges – underscores the series’ close affinity with nature. The photographic work, in turn, echoes one of the earliest known collections of Chinese poetry, The Book of Odes. Taca retraced the mountains, rivers and ancient sites evoked in this classical anthology, rendering its spirit in a contemporary visual language.

The design extends this exploratory impulse: rather than adopting a traditional binding, the book consists of loose sheets organised into nine chapters, transforming the volume into a spatial experience that can be unfolded, juxtaposed and reconfigured. These flexible sections are housed in carefully calibrated shades of brown paper. The photographs’ distinctive palette – with its subtle gradations of black and grey – is exquisitely complemented by the paper stock. Each volume’s cover features a minimalist line drawing that evokes a panorama. The typographic concept enters into a quiet dialogue with these lines, while the linear markings throughout recall the brushstrokes of classical landscape painting.

In this way, the publication stands as an excellent example of a contemporary approach to Chinese book design. It reflects a remarkable publishing culture that has evolved over recent decades – one that honours its rich traditions while confidently reinterpreting them for the present.