Xu Bing, Book From the Sky (1987-91)

Book from the Sky is an installation by Xu Bing containing columns upon columns of unintelligible "Chinese" script written in books, on scrolls, and even on long sheets of paper cascading from the ceiling.  Each character printed was made up by Xu Bing himself by piecing together components of preexisting characters so the viewer can only guess at its meaning.  The process of creating Book from the Sky resembles that of propaganda creation, using an army of people to mass produce written words devoid of meaning.  There can also be a parallel drawn to Buddist monks, who perform labor intensive, monotonous work in order to fill themselves with emptiness and facilitate a connection with nature.  Xu Bing's Book from the Sky appears to critique the Western exoticised view of China by commenting on the view that all Chinese characters look the same.  Xu Bing demonstrates how language can be manipulated to take away means of communication.