Every day we decipher visual and written images, sometimes unaware of how artistic choices can influence this communication. Colour and font choice can strengthen or soften words – a beautiful curly font can remove the sting from ‘fuck’, while an angular approach can bring a sense of toughness to ‘HER’.
The works presented in Changing Lanes use typography and signwriting techniques to examine family, belonging and self-acceptance while also
looking at the tensions and contrasts in my upbringing and in the current environment.
A large part of my childhood was spent around my family’s trucks, and I loved it. The smells, the sounds, the art of the signs. My fascination with visual communication started here – as a curious 5-year-old shadowing sign writers as they worked on the trucks, no doubt being very annoying and asking lots of questions. Awed by the skill of these artists, their ability to produce in some cases quite delicate works of art on these vehicles with little room for error.
Masculine/Feminine, Greenie/ Conservative, Rough/Gentle, Utilitarian/ Beautiful, Connected/Disconnected – this body of work is about moving forward and being in charge of your own direction.
