Janusz Trupinda

jury statement

★★
Poland /// Polen
★★

This is how to render a rather obscure historical subject in an engaging and entirely contemporary way. Even if the technical realisation is not always perfect, this book achieves a great deal with seemingly very little indeed. Nigra crux mala crux is intriguing in both content and form. Published to accompany an exhibition organised by Malbork Castle Museum, it tells the story of how Polish and German memories of the Teutonic Order have been shaped by different generations over time, right up to the present day. The authors tackle the image of the Teutonic Order in art, literature, politics and culture at large.

The form of the book is striking for being both thoroughly modern and highly original. This publication is a veritable treasure trove that offers numerous areas to examine. The simplified tabular layout reflects the hierarchy of the content and makes it easy to organise the material. A pleasant surprise for the reader, once opened out, are the beautiful archival artefacts or illustrations displayed on large foldouts. The chosen paper is modest but perfectly in keeping with the whole, while the unconventional yet highly functional graphic design skilfully balances the historical imagery. Despite its blackness, the type
area remains easy to read and harmonises well with the narrow format. The book block is very compact, dense and literally multilayered. From a book design perspective, such a diversity of media can be challenging but, here, the designer was undeterred, developing his own visual language in response.