He came to Japan for the first time in 1966. He returned to Europe for a time but opted to return to Japan in 1977. From that time, Schmid devoted himself to design work, always addressing its duality as a conveyance of information and free form. Although he embraced different approaches to commercial work and to his private work, he devoted himself equally to both realms. This exhibition featured a multitude of his works, both those well known and obscure, and also described his creative processes and the people he encountered during his artistic explorations. Throughout his career, Schmidʼs typography, though highly individualistic, exuded great warmth.
ID
ddd_228
Exhibition Name
try try try: helmut schmid typography
Period
April 03, 2021–July 10, 2021
Exhibition Type
ddd exhibition
Venue
ddd Uzumasa, Kyoto
Featured Designers
Poster Designers
Cooperation
Exhibition Planning
Exhibition Design
Exhibition Introduction
posted on YouTube- Participants: Nicole SCHMID、ABE Hirohumi、HASEGAWA Tetsuya
The three participants spoke on how they went about putting together this retrospective exhibition in their respective capacities: Hirofumi Abe and Nicole Schmid, as members of the team in charge of the exhibition’s planning, and Tetsuya Hasegawa, as the exhibition’s designer. Mr. Abe said he began by undertaking a survey of Helmut Schmid’s vast body of works, which made him conclude that Schmid’s brilliance came by effort rather than natural talent. Ms. Schmid said the exhibition title was chosen because of how often her father exhorted with the words “try try try.” Mr. Hasegawa explained how he decided to adopt panels made from lightweight perforated metal sheets: in order to create an overlapping, chronological display of Schmid’s activities around the globe at different times, including his many works as well as his sketches and other items tracing Schmid’s processes of trial and error. He added that he placed various snapshots and letters among the displays in order to convey how Helmut Schmid’s creative work derived from his connections with many different people. Ms. Schmid closed by saying that this exhibition, in its final form, was a story all about Helmut Schmid.
ddd ヘルムート シュミット タイポグラフィ: トライ トライ トライ 展覧会紹介
on helmut Schmid
posted on YouTube- Participants: HARA Kenya、SHIRAI Yoshihisa、MUROGA Kiyonori、GEJKO Fiodor、MALSY Victor、Lars MÜLLER 、Philipp TEUFEL、ABE Hirohumi、Nicole SCHMID
Various well-known people who were associated with Helmut Schmid spoke about him. Yoshihisa Shirai described how Schmid’s publications have guided him in his own career. Lars Müller suggested that Schmid’s "der Weg nach Basel" [The Road to Basel] was in many ways “The Road to Ruder.” Philipp Teufel related how he had once made a xeroxed copy of Schmid’s entire "Typography Today." Hirofumi Abe said that in planning this exhibition he came to recognize Schmid as a man of strong will. Fjodor Gejko compared Schmid to a minimalist composer of “music seen with the eyes.” Kiyonori Muroga told how he had originally become interested in typography when he began wondering why the typography in "Typography Today," written in the 1980s, is still so good-looking. Victor Malsy revealed that it was because Helmut Schmid wasn’t understood that he started a project at his university to make students familiar with him. Nicole Schmid noted that her father had died while designing the Japanese edition of Emil Ruder’s "Typographie," but she was able to complete the design because when he began the job, he had indicated what steps to follow. Kenya Hara stated that it was Schmid’s work that had taught him the tense excitement of applying ink to pristine white paper.
ddd ヘルムート シュミット タイポグラフィ: トライ トライ トライ「ヘルムートシュミットについて / on Helmut Schmid」
Gallery
Photographer: YOSHIDA Akihito