A Line Which Forms a Volume 6
A Line Which Forms a Volume 6
A Line Which Forms a Volume 6
Year
2023
For
Collaborative Practice
Role
Graphic Designer & Motion Designer
CORE TEAM | Yuxin Xiong (Editor), Paola Andrea Sánchez A. (Editor), Kexin Zhang (Production), Ben Conod (Production), Anqi Meng (Graphic Design), Qinyi Yang (Graphic Design), Yuhao Chen (Graphic Design), Xiaotong Liang (Communication), Junchen Jin (Communication)
© MAGMD LCC
Research
Conceptual
Storytelling
Editorial
3D
A Line Which Forms a Volume 6
A Line Which Forms a Volume is a critical reader and symposium of graphic design-led research that is written, edited, designed and published annually by participants of the MA Graphic Media Design course at London College of Communication.
The concept of Volume 6 aims to visualise how hidden networks of contamination affect the way in which content is developed and presented. It refers to the mycorrhizal networks of fungi to offer a visual and conceptual entry point into the interconnected nature of design research.
Quadrat
‘Quadrats are used for sampling purposes. They are squares of a set size placed in a particular habitat …, plant and/or animal species within the quadrat are identified and their numbers recorded.’
Understanding the publication as a terrain, and aiming to explore the complex and delicate connections between practices, we refer to the use of quadrats: a method for the examination of samples in ecology, geography and biology.
The book can be seen as a specimen of quadrats observing the explorations of 2021/2022 MA Graphic Media Design participants, their networks, the spaces brought by guests, and the legacy of previous volumes of A Line Which Forms a Volume. Taking the diverse nature of actors, and observing the interactions with one another, the book formulates a layout system containing corresponding grids and paratexts, in the form of a set of glyphs, a map, and 'contaminations'.
The quadrat metaphor has been used to design all the elements at all scales in the publication, from the table of contents, to the layout of a page, to the letterforms especially designed for this current volume.
Glyphs
Each of the glyphs belongs to a category decided according to the nature of the content they represent: stones are the solid knowledge from external contributors, and are the foundation for species to establish connections; leaves represent those things that quietly fell from the trees during this academic year, such as visiting practitioners and designers; insects, whose bodies left a trace on the surface, while traversing the pages of the publication, representing the knowledge arising from extracts of previous issues; and finally mushrooms, emerging from the hidden networks of knowledge of this terrain, representing the work developed by current participants of MA GMD.
Map
The mushroom network map represents the underlying network of knowledge within ALWFAV 6, evidencing the connections between contents and the possible reading order.
Symposium
The ALWFAV 6 Symposium gathered Ana Quiroga, gobyfish collective, Breakwater (Youngsook Choi & Taey Iohe), and MA GMD participants for presentations and discussions around the themes explored in A Line Which Forms a Volume 6. The symposium took place on 28 January 2023 at Roof Studio, Siobhan Davies Studios, 85 St George's Road, London SE1 6ER.
ALWFAV 6 Cocktail
The ALWFAV6 Cocktail offers a small glimpse into the complexity of fungal networks that inspired the publication. The drink uses Pei Pa Koa (枇杷膏) as its base syrup — a traditional Chinese herbal remedy made from loquat leaf and a blend of around 15 herbal ingredients, commonly used to soothe the throat.
Combined with gin and lemon juice, then topped with green tea, the cocktail balances herbal, citrus and botanical notes. It is served over ice and optionally garnished with a dried apple slice and a mushroom-shaped sweet, echoing the visual language of the fungal network that underpins the project.
[Recipe] 15 ml Pei Pa Koa, 30 ml Gin, 10 ml Lemon Juice, 100 ml Green Tea, Fill with ice. Optional garnish: dried apple slice, mushroom-shaped sweet.
