Source: Limestone Books & Professor Kuang Yi Ku
The outstanding book, Perverted Norm, Normal Pervert, from 382 entries, was elected one of thirty-three “Best Verzorgde Boeken” (The Best Dutch Book Design). This book was worked collectively by Professor Kuang Yi Ku at the Institute of Applied Arts of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and Associate Professor Dr. Joris M. Koene at the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It was designed by Graphic Designer Yu Tzu Huang and published by Limestone Books in 2023. This competition for “The Best Dutch Book Design” was held by The Best Dutch Books Foundation (Sichting De Best Verzorgde Boeken) and supported by various institutions, such as ASF Goede Doelen Fonds, Igepa Nederland, Pictoright, L. van Heek Textiles, etc. This competition may be traced back to as early as 1926 and is one of the most long-established competitions among the same kinds of competitions in Europe, which is not only the local great event of design every year but also the origin where many extraordinary designers will gather.
Source: Limestone Books & Professor Kuang Yi Ku
Explore Gender Ideology and Animals through BioArt
The eponymous project – Perverted Norm, Normal Pervert – collaborated by Professor Ku and Dr. Koene was inspired by the “gender fluidity” from another species in terms of the hermaphroditic research of snails conducted by Dr. Koene, exploring the normality and abnormality of sexual activities between snails and humans.
Photo credit: Zhao-Wei Liu; Source: Professor Kuang Yi Ku
The research field of Dr. Koene is the hermaphroditic reproduction strategies of snails, and a well-equipped breeding system for freshwater snails has been established in his laboratory, allowing the reveal of various aspects of snail reproduction. Unlike humans, snails have sexual organs of both males and females. However, due to the social values of the majority, humans with hermaphroditic physical structures are often labeled as “abnormal” or “perverted” by others. Interestingly, some snails prioritize the survival of only one sex, which is considered “normal” in human society but an “abnormal” minority in the world of snails. Therefore, Professor Ku established a series of art creations to focus on four particularities of “sex,” transforming the sexual activities of humans and snails into several corresponding visual narrations to compare snails and humans. Such “fluidity” reflects the affinities and differences of “sex” among different species, leading audiences to reflect upon the rigidity of human society’s perception of sex and the definition of “normal” and “perverted.”
Photo credit: Yu-Tzu Huang; Source: Professor Kuang Yi Ku
Professor Ku also mentions that many art creations nowadays are derived based on animals themselves and scientists’ understanding of them. By objective scientific observation, people can learn about the nature of animals again and may have the opportunity to break the existing stereotype. When people come into contact with the animals next time, they may observe them with a different mentality and review how they treat other species.