Team Tribal Translator

For their graduation project in communication design at the China University of Technology in Taiwan, Cai-He Hung, Yu-Han Lin, Wei-Cian Chen, Yueh-Tung Chen and Pei-Wei Kao immersed themselves in the ancient shaman culture of their home country. Using traditional bookbinding, they succeeded in making this mysticism tangible – a mountain massif rises up like scales before the eye of the beholder.

Interview with Team Tribal Translator

You have chosen an interesting binding for your project. Can you tell us something about this technique?
This particular binding is inspired by the Chinese dragon scale binding technique, a traditional bookbinding craft that lies between the forms of scrolls and those of ancient codex scripts. The book pages are glued onto a sheet of paper at certain intervals from left to right, with the second page glued under the first, the third under the second and so on, resembling scales.

To what extent did this technique become part of the overall design concept?
With this binding method, in combination with the wavy edges, we were able to create a mountain landscape. This mysterious nature conceals the shaman culture to which we have dedicated ourselves.

How did you approach this mystical topic in terms of content?
During our initial field research, it turned out that shamanism in Taiwan is usually kept secret due to its many taboos. However, we were fortunate enough to meet a young shaman who was willing to share his knowledge in order to preserve and educate people about this ancient tradition. This encounter was incredibly fascinating and sparked our curiosity about this mysterious culture. Our concept ultimately aimed to document this intangible cultural heritage in a creative publication.

The work is characterised by magnificent illustrations. What do you think they can do that photography perhaps cannot?
For an artist, the use of illustrations and tactile materials is a form of human wisdom that photography cannot replace. By creating new images, a world is presented that originated in the artist’s mind and cannot be captured with the eye alone. This intuitive work, which comes from the heart, fosters boundless imagination, much like a dream.