you don’t know how to chicken ordered in Japanese? What is a double bed in Russian? How to ask in Spanish for toilet paper? The solution to all these questions is 13 times 9 times 0.5 inches tall and is called “point it” – a booklet for 6.90 euros, the presents 72 pages 1300-neutral-photographed objects and scenes of everyday life, where travellers can encounter. In the Restaurant or in the Hotel, on the train or farm, in the plane or in a hospital.
It interprets as a likely Tourist language on the Utensil in question, and you are from Sweden, the Chinese, the Israelis understood, though they speak no common language. Chicken, double beds, and toilet paper from practically anywhere in the world. Even illiterate people can start with this standard work of the international understanding of something.
The book would not exist, would not have done in 1976, a certain Dieter Graf, then 32 years old, an architect from Munich, a trip to India. On the way, he saw everywhere the posters with the symbols that are used there because of the many languages and dialects.
He came as a Tourist, is wonderful with the images, was able to communicate without language skills – and then had the brilliant idea of a universal visual dictionary. The implementation took, of course, for years, and finally about 1000 things had to be in the world, and photographed selected.
“point it”-the inventor has made almost all of the photos, even
25 years Ago, the first edition in self publishing appeared. The hit like a bomb: Just count the 20. Pad at the Start, in total, sold over 2.1 million copies.
Each 18. The Dutch will now have a “point it”book, and in China, unsurprisingly, long been a pirated copy. Star photographer Martin Parr praised the Original as the “best-selling photo book of all times”, as an icon of everyday design has also long been a Bestseller in the Shops of major museums.
with a few exceptions Graf, who has traveled to the majority of countries around the globe, all of the photos. Exotic fruits he bought at the Munich Viktualienmarkt, the templates for most of the foreign food he ordered in Munich at the Indian, Italian or Chinese.
was Shot at home. The most difficult is the inclusion of the fried eggs, was the count says: “If one was well placed in the pan, the other one hundred percent.”
Sometimes, the Photograph of Trouble: “In Niger, I’ve been arrested once, when I was taking a picture of a Jeep, in the stupid way the police sitting chief.” And as he at the Munich main railway station, a sleeping car compartment took a photo that was posted of a noble lady, dam these values – “you considered me for the Detective of the love husband”.
special edition for migrants and refugees
the Long count has hanged his original profession of the nail and works only as a publisher. Until today, he himself decides what will be included in the photo book and what flies out. It allows users from all over the world for inspiration, but also friends of the same age and, as a representative of the younger Generation, his nieces and nephews.
a lot has been Deleted over the years and editions: the green German passport, for example, the IATA-airline ticket paper, the Super-8 camera, the Walkman, the telegram, the roll film, old car models, and the D-Mark.
Added technical innovations such as Tablet and Smartphone, digital camera, devices for batteries, and a high-speed train load. Added count but also acupuncture, dirty Laundry, a clogged shower, baby stuff (“call of a columnist”), as well as a scene of life from the night (“the suggestion of male single traveller”).
the photo from The red-light district, however, is not included in the special edition, the count at the end of 2015, together with the authorities in his home town of Ravensburg was issued: “point it” for migrants and refugees, supplemented by expressions in English, intended as part of a welcome package to help according to the Preface, “in the new, unfamiliar environment, to navigate”.
Some of the images have been deliberately defused: kisses in the Park-sunbathing lawn in the refugee issue is not a Few, but it sits modestly next to each other, and the woman in the Muckibude not trained well free more belly, but with a T-Shirt that covered the bare skin. Not pictures of pigs and ham were repaid, so that Muslims have to live in Germany, while the beer an alcohol-free variant has been added.
Especially for the migrants, picture-book scenes of everyday life, the users of the tourist Edition saves were photographed, from the refugee accommodation through the community kitchen to the clerk in the office of the Agency.
And, of course, the German phenomenon of the separation of Waste is a must. Your be devoted to six photos: residual waste bin, paper bin, compost bin, glass container, metal container, used batteries return containers. If the welcome package, then right.
