A gift for readers of the Korean edition of Bob Gill’s The Concert.

Translator’s Note

The Concert is the third picture book by Bob Gill introduced by Bois Forêt, following Dogs Are Just Like Us and What Colour is Your World? Like Dogs Are Just Like Us, its original edition was published by Corraini Edizioni, an Italian publisher and art gallery.

Music was a familiar subject for Bob Gill as a designer. Beatlemania, in which he participated, demonstrates his musical sensibility well. In this musical, performed on Broadway from 1977 to 1979, he was responsible for the visual elements. Through stage backdrops, video, and newspaper headlines, he vividly recreated the 1960s and iconic Beatles moments. The experience of bringing music and visual art together must have affected him deeply. It is evident in this book’s delightful portrayal of the small happenings at a concert, with Gill’s characteristic wit, simple but distinctive lines, and bright, clear colors.

A concert is a beautiful ensemble of instruments, music, performers, a conductor, and an audience. This book follows a concert from beginning to end, vividly capturing its special moments. But Gill goes a step further, guiding us into the inner lives of the performers, conductor, and audience. Surprisingly, they are not absorbed only in the music. We glimpse not just their impressions of it but their everyday concerns and even thoughts unrelated to music. Some recall their childhoods; others worry about their instruments. One person even worries about a toothache. Through these scenes, Gill shows how many directions our minds take even at special moments, and how human that is.

My limited tastes mean I have rarely attended concerts, but I experience similar situations in daily life. On weekdays, when I work as an editor at the company, I become a designer; when I work as a designer, I become an editor. When programming, I become both. Above all, I imagine the delicious dinner I will eat at home with my wife after work. The same is true on weekends, when I often immerse myself in translating or composing as hobbies. Translating a book, I miss composing; composing, I miss translating. This book was a little different, though. I was so absorbed in Gill’s pictures and story that little else came to mind.

Whether musicians playing at a concert or audience members listening, we naturally drift into thought even when immersed in the situation before us. The mind is constantly moving, and memories of the past or worries about the future suddenly intrude even when we try to focus on the present. Through this book, Gill delivers an important message: perfect concentration does not exist, and there is no need to pursue it. Accept and enjoy each moment when the mind moves freely, just as it is. Following his message, we realize that our lives themselves are a great concert. We take part sometimes as performers, sometimes as listeners. Every thought and feeling experienced in the process ultimately creates a rich harmony. In the end, all of this is entirely natural, just as those of you reading this may be thinking of another Bob Gill book.

July 2024
Min Guhong

Oh, I would like to share some happy news. Until now, I have introduced myself to you as an “uncle.” Next year, though, I may also become a “dad.” A few days ago, looking at a blurry ultrasound image, my wife and I settled after a long discussion on the prenatal nickname “Baby.” Now, when translating, I can imagine another reader besides my beloved niece or nephew.