26 Temptations, solo exhibition, 26 projects of variable sizes & various media
This body of work consists of 26 projects where each investigates different aspects of language and its physical existence and/or creation. From A to Z, the projects move from experiences of letterform as language to letter as form. Each focuses on a different sensual interaction and prompts a different kind of engagement with the viewer.
This body of work consists of 26 projects where each investigates different aspects of language and its physical existence and/or creation. From A to Z, the projects move from experiences of letterform as language to letter as form. Each focuses on a different sensual interaction and prompts a different kind of engagement with the viewer.
Gallery Context, Peppers Art Gallery, Redlands, CA, 02/2007
Most of the 26 projects are placed around the perimeter of the Gallery space, with Project Z (the desks) and two others in the middle of the room. This allowed viewers to circulate around the space, returning to the center at the end.
26 Temptations:
26 Temptations:
26 Temptations: , 26 x 26 playing cards, laser printed cards, antique card shuffler and laser cut acrylic chute
This project invites viewers to arrange letters in meaningful sequences and then participate in recycling those arrangements through the random act of mechanical shuffling. All of the cards have a single letter; there are 26 decks of 26 cards each.
26 Temptations: , 260 offset printed carbon-form ballots, an acrylic ballot box
One in a series of three, this project involves viewers voting on their “most favorite letter.” The forms are carbon copies so the viewer is left with a tangible artifact from the engagement, while the other portion of the form is retained in the ballot box to catalog viewers’ opinions.
26 Temptations:, 26 sealed clear bags, laser printed Avery labels
This project provides viewers with a tactile experience of a “breathed” letter. Each of the 26 letters has been captured in a bag as it was uttered and then permanently sealed and cataloged. Viewers are invited to handle these “letters” and ponder the act of speaking language.
26 Temptations:, 26 laser cut bubble blowing wands, one bottle of bubble blowing fluid
Here, I invite viewers to play with letters and a different kind of “breath.” Each wand produces a slightly different bubble configuration.
26 Temptations:, antique pantograph, laser cut panel, laser cut stencils, RivesBFK paper
This project invites viewers to select a letter from the stack of stencils, place it under the pantograph, and add to a cumulative drawing that builds up over time as more viewers interact with it.
26 Temptations:, Theremin, laser cut acrylic “keyboard,” small amplifier
Here, viewers approach an enigmatic “keyboard” on which to “type.” When the viewers attempt to “type on” the acrylic frame, the proximity to the antenna creates a particular droning pitch for each letter. The surprise of the loud sound is quickly replaced by delighted experimentation with this unique “writing instrument.”
26 Temptations: Project W, laser cut magnetic letters, laser cut mirror and frame
This project is an exercise in abstract appreciation of letters that results in wonderful “totems” of reflected letters. The magnetic letters allow for a variety of exploration and experimentation through positioning and repositioning the elements.
26 Temptations:, 26 laser frosted bottles, various spices and food powders, disposable plastic dosage cups
Here, bottles are filled with the “flavors” of letters. Vowels are salty or sweet, and consonants are a variety of additional accent flavors (all flavors are teas made from spices and foodstuffs). Viewers are invited to “spell-out” words by dosing cups with various combinations of letters, and then to taste the result.
26 Temptations:, 26 chair-desks (each labeled with a letter), 26 sheets of paper per desk, 26 pencils
As a final engagement, I invite viewers to sit awhile and contemplate the exhibition. As they do so, paper and pencils are provided to promote thoughtful notes and/or observations. Many viewers choose to leave their feedback as a form of public discourse about the projects, letters and visual language learning in general.
