Words Words Word
University of Santa Barbara California, 1997 Hatlen Theater courtyard Dismantled around 2007 due to remodeling Vinyl - commercial sign material
The project was inspired by dialogue from Act II of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet.
Polonius: What do you read my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
During my graduate work at UCSB, I found myself reading and rereading pages of dense, difficult discourse, and frequently saw only “words, words, words.” Hamlet’s response to the question, “What do you read?” struck a chord, and became the basis for an installation in a courtyard of the theater department on the UCSB campus.
Four glass panels, each around eight feet square became “pages” for an installation that used vinyl text adhered to the glass. The sunlight, interrupted by the vinyl, casts word shadows on the concrete — the “stage.”
The work addresses ideas that are integral to the theater such as light and shadow, dialogue between actors, the stage and performance.
Because the two inside panels slide open, the position of the text changes as the panels move. The work “performs” as the sun travels its course, panels are moved, and leaves and trash cross paths with the word shadows.
One gratifying part of the installation was the interaction of theater students with the work. I observed as they stopped to read the shadows, looked for their sources, and moved the panels.
Another read of the work is the juxtaposition of the text with the courtyard environment. The glass pages act a transparent lens to view what lies on the other side. Trees, clouds, people, buildings — everything becomes filtered through the idea of words/language.
Production Team | Assistance
Fabrication of vinyl letters by a local sign company