My current work, The Graffiti Project, examines the way in which the visible word is woven into the social context of societies. Using forms based on actual graffiti that I extract from the environment, I focus on the materiality of the written word and the dichotomy between form and meaning, not only between signs and signification, but also between the visual and the verbal.

As a means for expressing this concept, I am relating the forms of graffiti to lace patterns. My interest lies in both the visual and the metaphorical connection between words and lace. Words, like lace, are often used to conceal or contort, rather than to reveal – like a veil. Likewise, both words and lace also lend significance to the ordinary, or the “making special” of something. I wish to call into question that which lures with false promise, or prompts unwarranted reactions – whether respect, joy or repulsion – from the surface.

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