Chinese Pictures, 2011
32 page; lino-print and laser-print; rigid-board case binding with dust jacket.
145 x 205mm
Edition: 1
The idea for the book came from the game Chinese Whispers. Played by children as a party game or in the playground, it is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies as rumours or gossip spread, and relating to the transition in meaning through interpretation.
The book’s data was produced from a visual game of chinese whispers or chinese pictures. A composition created from geometric shapes within a grid was shown to a volunteer for twenty seconds. They were then asked to reproduce the image using a set of lino stamps. This version was then shown to the next volunteer for twenty seconds, who in turn had to reproduce it from memory. This was carried on through ten people.