Handcrafted stone silhouettes create Wenbin Li’s graphic system
Collection 100 stones gathered along a coastline forms the basis of Numerous Difference, a work by Wenbin Li that translates natural forms into a graphic identity system. The stones were collected successively along the shoreline without selection or categorization. Each object was numbered in situ and its exact position along the waterline was recorded.
In the studio, the designer hand traced the outline of each stone, creating a set of 100 unique silhouettes. These forms serve as the basis for a graphical system that is implemented in many forms, including posters, packinga billboard and a bag. The shapes, defined by natural erosion over time, are reproduced through four distinct visual treatments: solid black, striated grain, concentric outline lines, and gradient shading. Each variation offers a different method of interpreting the same form.
All printed results associate each silhouette with the corresponding collection number and time, establishing a consistent indexing system. The graphics are also applied to the packaging, integrating identity and object on a single level. As each stone produces a distinct contour, each application within the system remains unique.
poster index — all 100 stone silhouettes | all images courtesy of Wenbin Li
The typography frames the shift between a stone and a hundred
The title of the work, 一百也是, carries a double reading. It translates as “a hundred differences”, while its typographical composition allows for an alternative interpretation as 一石电影, meaning “one stone, different”. This duality reflects the relationship between the collective whole and the individuality of each element.
The work spans a spatial installation consisting of large sheets of paper, each cut with a stone blank that corresponds to one of the crossed out contours. Suspended from a wooden frame, the sheets form a linear sequence that allows projections through multiple layers simultaneously, aligning the silhouettes in a continuous visual field.
After the exhibition, designer Wenbin Li returned each stone to its original recorded position along the coastline, restoring its place in the natural environment.
poster detail, outline line style — stones #14 and #66
rendering styles derived from four stone contours
posters and printed cards on the display shelf
