Sign, by Piotr Młodożeniec

Franziska Stünkel Coexist Franziska Stünkel Coexist
© 2019 Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg Berlin, Franziska Stünkel and authors [and translators]. ISBN 978-3-86828-918-3

COEXIST SIGN
Piotr Młodożeniec
Graphic Designer, Warsaw, Poland

I always had the idea* that all the gods that people believe in—Allah, Muhammad, Jahve, Manitou, Zeus— are in fact one same god, but** with different names. When a museum on the border in*** Jerusalem put out the call for the “Coexistence” poster, I tried to answer this theme on a largely religious basis. As I like to play with letters in many of my designs, I started**** to write the word “Coexistence” in many different ways. A few years earlier, I had done the logo***** for the rock group Kult, in which the last t is written like a Christian cross. I decided to do the same with my word, “coexistence”. Then I noticed****** that the first c can be written like the star and crescent*******, considered the symbol of Islam. It was only a matter of time before I realized that the middle x had to be a Star of David. I threw away the suffix “-ence”, and the design was ready********. I looked at it, and I immediately knew********* that it was a good, strong, and meaningful sign. I sent it to Jerusalem. It was then printed and exhibited in many places, and became internationally popular**********.

Square brackets indicate my text prior to copy editor’s changes

[*notion – Vorstellung]
[** are, in fact, one and the same god, only with]
[*** running through – auf der Grenze, die durch Jerusalem verläuft]
[**** began (why the change, I wonder?)]
[***** A few years previously I had developed the logo]
[****** Then it struck me – Dann fiel mir auf, dass]
[******* like a sickle moon – wie eine Mondsichel – the star’s not mentioned!]
[******** I dropped the ending “-ence”— and the design was completed. (I think ‘dropped’ is more appropriate in tone and definitely more natural, even if the change is elegant)]
[*********knew immediately]
[********** internationally well-known – international bekannt]