Library of Shapes, Texts, and Structures

A—Z is a new space in Berlin for experimental graphic design. For the opening this new exhibition-spot will host the exhibition “Library of Shapes, Texts, and Structures.” It is a visual research project and the personal design library of Andrea Tinnes, Professor of Typography at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle. The title is programmatically chosen, because as a library, the “Library” encompasses the ongoing systematic collection, notation, documentation, selection, recording, archiving, processing, ordering, and cataloguing of a wide variety of visual, text-based, and linguistic materials.

In the “Shapes” section, the “Library” consists of two extensive writing systems, the Affiche Collection and the Allgemein Grotesk, two fonts that unite different letter forms in their character sets. It also includes numerous forms and symbols, from abstract-geometric to figurative-illustrative to organically deformed. The section “Structures” contains a multitude of serial structures, including analogue and digital textures as well as photographic images of everyday typography. These visual collections are supplemented by the section “Texts.” As a “text log,” it records extracts of everyday reading of newspapers, magazines, books or even short news in the social media, sorted by date. The exhibition at A—Z shows the current status of the “Library of Shapes, Texts and Structures” in the form of an extensive file collection and a multifaceted poster series, which combines a selection of library materials with different motifs and colors.

Library of Shapes, Texts, and Structures

When?
April 11th, 2019
7 p.m.

Where?
A—Z
Torstr. 93
10119 Berlin