The Namewall, 1986.
The Namewall, 1986.
Bone Box I in ebony box, 1987.
Bone Box I in ebony box, 1987.
Bone Box II, Hand Made, with original poems in Alphabet of Bones, vellum poems and bird skull (One of a kind), 1996.
The Stones of Dachau, Edition of 4, (Vellum pages with images from the stones of Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany, with artist's texts, and magnesium covers), 1997.
The Stones of Dachau, Edition of 4, (Vellum pages with images from the stones of Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany, with artist's texts, and magnesium covers), 1997.
The Stones of Dachau, Edition of 4, (Vellum pages with images from the stones of Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany, with artist's texts, and magnesium covers), 1997.
Wingbook, Edition of 12, (Twelve texts, wing-shape pages in hand-cut acrylic wingbox), 1983.
Wingbook, Edition of 12, (Twelve texts, wing-shape pages in hand-cut acrylic wingbox with cover), 1983.
Before 2000
The Namewall was an artwork conceived and designed to transform the depersonalized passenger tunnel of the International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport into an aesthetic and personal experience for the hundreds and thousands of international travelers—for many, a first introductory look at the United States. This was the first time an individual artist had been granted permission to exhibit a site-specific installation for the Los Angeles International Airport, years before public art programs were initiated in American cities. It was a temporary installation for one month and extended by popular interest and the request of the Board of Airport Commissioners. It was labeled “A Distribution Print”—the final public event on the last day was a distribution of Nametiles, each given on request to a person of that name, in exchange for his or her autograph.
Read More >>Artists Books:
- Overview for Artist Book Gallery
- The Anatomy Lesson: Unveiling The Fasciculus Medicinae
- From The Anatomy Lesson:
- The Anatomy Lesson: The Slow Death of Rose
- The Anatomy Lesson: The Sudden Death of Eddy
- The Anatomy Lesson: Newborns
- The Anatomy Lesson: The Dead
- Alphabet of Bones: Published in Germany
- Alphabet of Bones: Nameroom
- Alphabet of Bones: Three Cages
- Alphabet of Bones: Into Flight
- Alphabet of Bones: Miniature of Alphabet of Bones
- From Public Projects
- Before 2000
- Publications
It was the gridded wall and the sterility of the space that inspired the concept. The Namewall was composed of approximately 12,500 laminated paper tiles affixed directly over the existing, vertically placed white ceramic wall tiles of the 263-foot long passenger tunnel wall, which was from eight to nine feet high. The paper tiles were imprinted with 2,000 repeated first names equally representing women and men and reflecting the diverse and international origins of our national population.
People in all cultures understand the practice of naming and the need to name. For The Namewall, the names were placed in random arrays, as unpredictable as groups of airline passengers. Because a first name is experienced as a person, as a sign imbued with meaning—rather than as a word or set of graphic symbols—there was immediate personal response to the wall as people looked for their own name and those of lovers, relatives, enemies, and friends. It had taken more than ten months to achieve the permissions for this artist-generated work, which was financed in part with individual and corporate contributions of materials and labor, including Japan Airlines, which underwrote the opening reception in their Sakura Lounge.
Bone Box (1987)
Price upon request
The Alphabet of Bones is an original calligraphy composed of anatomically accurate drawings of the hollow leg bones of the Columba Livia, or messenger pigeon. It is a unique, copyrighted font that has twenty-six double characters, conceived as a visual dance.
Dimensions: 5 by 6 ¼ by 2 ¼ inches
Price upon request
The Alphabet of Bones is an original calligraphy composed of anatomically accurate drawings of the hollow leg bones of the Columba Livia, or messenger pigeon. It is a unique, copyrighted font that has twenty-six double characters, conceived as a visual dance.