So I haven’t exactly been in the pink of health lately, and have been more or less confined to being at home until probably June. And me being restless me, will still attempt to wander the city when I get the chance (okay I’m misbehaving, but I try to be good the rest of the time ๐Ÿ™‡โ€โ™€๏ธ). But anyway, I went to the National Library today! Other than another haul of books, I came across this lovely mini exhibition on Chinese typography.

I said it was mini...

I was, naturally, drawn to the bits about Chinese writing and printing. Here, they cover some materials for Chinese writing, like the ink stone, paper and brushes.

Basics of Chinese writing
What is an inkstone?
This is an inkstone
What is a brush?
This is a brush
Chinese invented paper, FYI

Seals were the pre-cursor to printing, and they’re actually pretty universal, considering they were used in Ancient Greece and Rome, Mesopotamia, and of course, Ancient China. Continued to be used during the Middle Ages, and last I checked, my company needed to have a seal and a stamp. How’s that for timeless?

Chinese seals look the best IMO

And my favourite bit on moveable type! Learnt so much about it this past month, what with all the research for 2 talks I will be giving in June. Excited to be part of Webconf.Asia and pitercss conference ๐Ÿ™†.

Casting types
Selecting types for typesetting

There’s also some other bits on type specimens in the wild, and uses in everyday life.

The type of temples

Anyhoo, if you happen to be in Singapore, and are remotely interested in Chinese typography at all, drop by the National Library and check it out. Then go downstairs (or upstairs to the massive reference section) and wish you could live there (okay, that’s just me) among the glorious selection of books.

P.S. Across the street, there is also an AWESOME exhibition on the art of Assassin’s Creed, which runs till Thursday, 25 May 2017 at the National Design Centre. It’s officially called The Art Behind The Game โ€“ The Ubisoft Experience and it’s practically a fine art exhibition because the artwork is so so so good! Here’s a sneak peek (seriously, my phone camera does not do the artwork any justice).

This is a gorgeous ship
And here's another gorgeous ship

Locations

  • National Library of Singapore (map), 100 Victoria St, Singapore 188064
  • National Design Centre (map), 111 Middle Rd, Singapore 188969