Helmut Schmid first set foot in Japan, in Osaka, at the age of 24. He contributed articles monthly to a series featured in "Typographische Monatsblätter" (TM). a Swiss journal, introducing Japanese forms and everyday tools from the typographer's perspective. More than two decades later, Schmid's articles were published in Japan by Robundo in German, English and Japanese, and this book's publication was the impetus behind this exhibition. The show featured monotone transparent screens hanging from the ceiling, on which photos and text were randomly arranged - a design reflecting Schmid's desire to let visitors roam about the gallery freely. When the sun went down, the subdued lighting created an extremely magical atmosphere.
ID
ddd_205
Exhibition Name
nippon no nippon: helmut schmid
Period
November 09, 2015–December 22, 2015
Exhibition Type
ddd exhibition
Venue
ddd Uzumasa, Kyoto
Featured Designers
Poster Designers
Exhibition Design
November 09, 2015
Gallery Talk
kyoto ddd gallery- Speaker: helmut SCHMID
Mr. Schmid began his talk relating how, after graduating from the Base! School of Design and then spending time around Canada, he came to Japan for the very first time in 1966. He then spoke of having a series of articles about Japan published in the Swiss journal "Typographische Monatsblätter” (TM) in the late 1960s, and described the content of his book Japan japanisch (nippon no nippon), published by Robundo Publishers in 2012 - an event that led to this exhibition at kyoto ddd gallery. Mr. Schmid said he gave the book this title out of a desire to convey the Japan as he personally understands it, the Japan that formerly existed, that still exists today, and that will surely lend itself to further discoveries in the future. Through his explanations of the various Japanese forms and everyday objects that he takes up - tatami mats, chopsticks, Shiko Munakata, Ryoanji Temple, tea whisks, Sumo ranking lists, calligraphy, etc. - the audience gained an understanding of how, as a typographer, Mr. Schmid views and thinks about things.
ddd 「ニッポンのニッポン ヘルムート シュミット」展ギャラリートーク
November 26, 2015
Related Event: Special Lecture at Kyoto University of Art & Design "Typography and Typography"
Kyoto university of Art & Design- Speaker: helmut SCHMID
Helmut Schmid has been globally active as a typographer from his base in Osaka for some 50 years, during with time his work in design and education has had an impact on designers the world over. He opened this special lecture, with a discussion about his publication of "Typography today" in an expanded and revised edition in August 2015, as a way of conveying the brilliance or "grid design," a feature of Basel-school typography. The second half of the lecture was dedicated to a systematic introduction to Mr. Schmid's works presented through a graduation project of Fjodor Geiko, a student in his course titled "Schmid Today" offered at a university in Dusseldorf. The lecture ended with a slide show of the workshop Mr Schmid conducted at a university in Korea, with Mozart providing the musical accompaniment.
Gallery
Photographer: YOSHIDA Akihito