Book 'Wanderings'

$34.95

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In her first book, the artist Suzanne Cloutier offers us an exploration of the theme of wandering in all its forms. Inspired by the work of designer Henry Dreyfuss, Dictionary of Symbols by Carl G. Liungman as well as the work of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and the writings of Jack Kerouac, it pays homage to American, Swedish and English wanderers and their unique language made up of pictograms.

The corpus of drawings presented in Wanderings illustrates pieces of history from generations of bohemians, hobos , homeless people and illegal rail travelers who had endured a period of economic misery and frenzied industrialization. Their coded language, whose graphic character is undeniable, fascinates by the story it tells. Juxtaposed, these signs document a way of life and paint the portrait of a population and its era. They tell of daily and deeply human concerns: the search for food, security, a place to sleep, the signaling of danger, of a direction to take or to avoid... But these signs are also more broadly the expression of a refusal of a sedentary lifestyle, of a desire to live – and survive – differently, and a strong symbol of non-conformism and the quest for freedom. Eleven writers, novelists and poets, collaborate on this work with creative texts, shedding contemporary light on the themes of wandering, freedom of movement and humanity on the move.

At the crossroads of visual arts, literature and design, Wanderings offers an original reflection on the crucial questions of our time: our capacity for empathy, hospitality and solidarity. A unique and fascinating book-object which invites us to question our own humanity in a world where socio-economic inequalities continue to grow.