凯瑟琳·格里菲斯：场域间的独奏

Catherine Griffiths: SOLO IN [ ] SPACE

《凯瑟琳·格里菲斯：场域间的独奏》是由 Pocca 的联合创办人及设计主理段智华为国际著名新西兰艺术家、文字设计师凯瑟琳·格里菲斯策划的其在中国的第一次精选作品回顾考察展。作为一次以设计师的创作过程而非创作结果为主轴和线索的展览，由丰富的工作内容和文字及图像档案辅以最终作品呈现的可供参观者阅读的语境化或叙述性空间，它得到了专业内外很多观众的喜爱，也让这位身处“世界边缘”的著名设计师进入更多中国观众的视野，并为文字设计领域带来不一样的参考视角。

Catherine Griffiths: SOLO IN [ ] SPACE is the first retrospective and survey exhibition in China curated by Pocca's co-founder and design principal, Duan Zhihua, for internationally renowned New Zealand artist and typographer Catherine Griffiths. As an exhibition that focuses on the designer's creative process rather than the outcome of her work, the rich archive of works, texts, and images are complemented by a contextualized or narrative space for visitors to read. It has also brought this famous designer, who is on the “edge of the world”, into the view of more Chinese audiences and brought a different reference perspective to the field of typography.

『经过这一系列的交流与接触，对格里菲斯的设计实践亦拥有了越来越完整的认识，再看时，脑海中不知怎的就自然的浮现了木心先生的两句文字「因为喜欢朴素，所以喜欢华丽」以及「能做的事情就只是长途跋涉后的归真反璞」。这可能是两句想要借用来，去描述格里菲斯的个人气质以及她的作品样貌的合适且准确的言语了。她的多数作品可能并非直接拥有抓人眼球的刺激，但她对庞杂思考投入的充沛精力以及对细节毫无倦怠的苛求，俨然是长途跋涉的修行；繁复的辩证过程和成品中精致的工艺，是谓华丽；化繁为简，精确的，对文字设计本质的探寻，是谓朴素；而这全部的全部所构建的「谨慎的优雅」，足以用「品味」二字去要求观众，返璞归真了。这也是为什么在这场展览中，相较于设计的成品，我们更邀请格里菲斯去展示她的思考与过程，无论是完整的，抑或是碎片化的。这个模糊了公共与私有、展场与工作现场的最终呈现，也成为来自格里菲斯本人最真诚的邀请。

策划这场展览的过程中，脑海中本涌动出太多的想要说的言语，可是，又有怎样的言语能够比这场展览最终的样貌更能描述我想企图向大家介绍的格里菲斯呢？正像格里菲斯在创作完她的标志性作品《惠灵顿作家之路（Wellington Writers Walk）》后所说，「突然间，我从传统的印刷文字场域中，跳脱出来，进入空间与景观，站在了所有人面前」。而你们，将看到的是我们通过这个非常规的展览场地、完整的展示营造、穿插的创作过程揭示，以及即将推出的有着「过程档案」意味的展览手册，一同所构建的「在场感」。而这个「在场感」可能即是我希望你们阅读的关于格里菲斯的全部诗意。

“Through the process of communicating back and forth with each other and putting together the exhibition, I have gained a more complete understanding of Griffiths' design practice. When I go through her work yet again, two sentences written by one of my favourite writers “Mu Xin” had come to mind: “I embrace splendor because I appreciate the simplicity in plainness” and “All that could be done was to return to nature after a long journey.” I want to borrow these words that, to me, best describes Griffiths' character and the tone of voice in her work. Most of her work may not have the immediate stimulating quality to directly catch people’s eyes.

In the process of curating this exhibition, so many expressions and words were circling in my mind and yet none of them can compare to this final space of the show itself and the excitement I had as I finally introduce Griffiths and her work to you. Just as what Griffiths said after creating her iconic work–Wellington Writers Walk, “Suddenly I’d leapt off the printed page and into the landscape–in front of everyone.” You are experiencing the “sense of presence” through this unconventional exhibition space, integrated exhibition design, unfiltered thoughts and creative process, along with the upcoming exhibition brochure which included archives. This “sense of presence” may be all the poetry that I want you to read about Griffiths.

场域间的独奏，希望引发出你的独奏，亦以此独奏向你们发出合奏的邀请，平静的，有力的，诗意的。』

SOLO IN [ ] SPACE. I hope it’s able to trigger your solo, or tutti. Pure, powerful, and poetic. ”

凯瑟琳·格里菲斯（Catherine Griffiths），是新西兰艺术家、文字排印师、设计师、教育家、策展人、作家、出版人、活动家和女权主义者。凯瑟琳在 80 年代中期于惠灵顿理工学院完成视觉传达设计的学习后，与另外两个毕业生建立了工作室，然后前往伦敦工作。于 1995 年再次回到新西兰成立了自己的工作室进行独立实践。即兴创作对她的艺术和设计实践至关重要，她的艺术和设计实践在平面设计和排版、自出版、设计写作、委托艺术作品以及公共和私人空间、建筑和景观中的装置之间游走。“Catherine Griffiths : SOLO IN [ ] SPACE”（2019年）是她在上海展出的第一个精选作品的调查展。2021 年出版了同名的展后书《A documentation》。

Catherine Griffiths, Pākehā, is an Aotearoa New Zealand artist, typographer, designer, educator, curator, writer, publisher, activist and feminist. Catherine studied Visual Communication Design at Wellington Polytechnic during the mid-80s, set up a studio space with two other graduates, then worked several years in London. She returned to Wellington as a senior designer, and later set up her own studio practice in 1995 which she runs independently, and has returned to after a two-year stint in a full-time teaching position in Wellington. Improvisation is critical to her art and design practice which moves between graphic design and typography, self-publishing, writing on design, and commissioned artworks and installations in public and private spaces, architectural and landscape. »catherine griffiths : SOLO IN [ ] SPACE« (2019), her first survey show of selected works, exhibited in Shanghai. A post-exhibition book of the same title, A documentation, was published in 2021. (Text from www.catherinegriffiths.co.nz)