The notion of multilingual typography is a new category within typography, which became necessary due to increasing interculturality between eastern and western cultures. As a part of typography, multilingual typography particularly researches the integrative presentation of information using fonts of different language and writing systems. For CULTURESCAPES Chinese and Swiss designers are translating writings in different parts of Basel. The goal is to create a link between the specific place and the lettering. The choice of place focuses on the artistic specialties in Basel: historical writings in the old town, the "Swiss typography / Basler school", but also on the linguistic local characteristics. Some ideas will be realised in the city, others will be presented in an exhibition. These Chinese characters encourage people to ‘read' the city and its numerous signs. They frame the already existing writings and highlight them. The alienation reveals the known in a different light by creating a distance to the familiar and therefore presenting it in a different light. In this sense, the translation is not only for the Chinese visitor, but also for the inhabitants of Basel.
Participants: 10 Designer (direction: Li Degeng, Beijing), the class of scenography (Prof. Song Xiewei) of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the class visual communication (Prof. Lin Cunzhen) Switzerland: a research troupe of the institute for Designforschung, Design2context and students of the MAS typography of the ZHdK.
