Radical Characters
MAY 2021 - FEB 2023 ︎ Exhibition Design
[Tools] Exhibition Design, Typography, Editorial Publication, Website Design
[Skills] Indesign, Aftereffects, Sketchup, Cargo
As research and design assistant, I worked with Professor Mary Yang of Open Rehearsal and Zhongkai Li of IS A GALLERY over the past two years to launch, curate, facilitate, and grow Radical Characters. Radical Characters is a study group exploring the relationship between design and culture in the Chinese and Chinese American community.
Summer 2021
Assisting the launch of Radical Characters, I worked with Professor Mary Yang to write the missions statement and establish Radical Return the first curatorial project, influenced by research on the history of 汉字 Hanzi (Chinese character) grids and Chinese poems. Radical Return is based on 回 hui, meaning “to return.” To return implies movement, but the character must choose the direction. Why return to something? To return to something, someone, or somewhere requires one to retrace a path. What path do you seek to retrace as a Chinese or Chinese American designer?
Our approach is to visually draw connections between different concepts of returning, including an Image Research Booklet and Mindmap. These documents inform the exhibition’s organization into “Drop,” “Fold,” and “Join”, illustrating the three strokes used to write 回.
This research solidifies the concept and design development for Radical Characters. After ten days of posting the call for submissions for Radical Return, we gained around 150 Instagram followers.
Radical Characters Instagram feed [9 Graphic Posts] designed by Danielle Chang. Click here to view @radicalcharacters on IG
Drop, Fold, Join is a 200 image research booklet with images scanned from books in the School of Visual Arts Library at BU CFA. Click here to view full booklet
Fall 2021
Radical Characters invites those who identify as Chinese or Chinese American graphic designers to submit original work for Radical Return. Each submission must be a black and white work following a provided grid imitating the 回. After announcing the call for submissions on social media, I reached out to contemporary Chinese and Chinese American designers and helped curate the final featured submissions. Radical Return featured 42 total artworks by 36 Chinese and Chinese American designers. This exhibition was held on view simultaneously at IS A GALLERY [Shanghai, China] and Boston University CFA Stone Gallery [Boston, Massachusetts] from November to December 2021.
Sketches of potential exhibition layouts and assets inspired by 回 character
I assisted the design layout at the Stone Gallery location by building a Sketchup model of the exhibition layout inspired by 回. The four walls of the exhibition imitate the outer square of 回 while a 4’ x 4’ x 18” pedastal in the center imitates the inner square. The pedastal acts as a large study table hosting a group of curated books on Chinese design books. Other assets of the exhibition design include:
- Two 32” monitors
- Lightbox window poster and mindmap wallpaper vinyl
- Curated book list of Chinese design books
- Sculpture book ends [by Felix Huang]
- Exhibition takeaways
- Gallery guide with artist names and statements
Documentation of installation process including print outs of Sketchup models, featured submissions, and displayed mindmap
Radical Return on display from Nov 8 - Dec 12 at the Stone Art Gallery of BU CFA in Boston, Massachusetts. [Photos by Tony Luong] Click here to view virutal tour.
The mindmap I designed based off my summer research was printed as vinyl wallpaper for the design of the lightbox window display.
Mindmap Wallpaper on display at entrance of Radical Return in Stone Gallery of CFA in Boston, Massachusetts [Photo by Tony Luong
Mindmap design by Danielle Chang
Explores the visual and conceptual connections among different acts of returns or cycles in relation
Initial Sketch of mindmap written by Danielle Chang
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4.25 x 11’’ Exhibition Takeaway designed by Danielle Chang
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Risograph Bookmark Takeaway designed by Danielle Chang
Radical Return on display from Dec 12 - Dec 20 at IS A GALLERY in Shanghai, China. [Photos by Junli Chen] Click here to view virutal tour.
Spring 2022
After the opening ceremony of the Radical Return at both locations, I started working on the exhibition catalogue, featuring the artists’ works and statements, exhibition photos, and curated essays around the act of returning.
Initial research and sketches of exhibition catalogue exploring most effective way to display bilingual text
Radical Return Exhibition Catalogue availabe here at Draw Down Books. Click here for more information
Summer/Fall 2022
After the printing of the exhibition catalogues, I helped distribute catalogues, takeaways, and featured artists’ works in the New England Book Fair and Boston Book Fair. At the Boston Art Book Fair, I assisted Professor Mary Yang and Chen Luo in their workshop “Embodied Making as collective Publishing,” which explored the relationship between the body and Hanzi [Chinese characters] through a series of hands-on exercises to create collaborative, wearable posters.
