Showcase
Bibliotopia

not here, not there (after Russell Lee) (detail), from "Bibliotopia", 2015. © Michael Lee
Artist Michael Lee attempts to explore what it means to be Singaporean by mapping the fiction of 3 representative local authors.
The artist had analysed and identified several motifs from each author, and our challenge was to define a set of visual rules to reveal their hierarchical relationships, while retaining a distinct overall form that recalls the image of a typical “mind map”.



(Top to Bottom) "Bibliotopia" (installation view), 2015. © Michael Lee, (not) at home (after Catherine Lim) © Michael Lee, a class/room of one's own (after Adrian Tan) © Michael Lee
Our process was exploratory and iterative. While we knew that the “mind map” would be radial and emanate from a central core, the textual relationships had to perform 2 functions - the layers should be deciphered easily, and had to create an overall form that looked “pleasing”. Explorations included options with alphabetical arcs, optimal space usage, and size differences. Ultimately, we settled on a starburst shape which was a great balance between legibility, order, and randomness.



Process sketches and experiments

© Michael Lee


© Michael Lee

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