The Quiet Storm: a visual language - Artist Talk

In The Quiet Storm, the artist considers our ability to communicate as a means of survival. Similar to a quiet storm – something that builds subtly before making a big impact – ‘words’ greatest power rests in their use as language. The building blocks of communication, they transform thought into meaning and understanding and give each person a means with which to feel alive.

Initially a poem written through the lens of grief and dementia, The Quiet Storm contemplates feelings of anger, confusion, frustration, hopelessness and depression when the ability to effectively communicate is lost. How do we navigate, and endure when the very foundation of our existence is stripped away? When we can no longer organize and comprehend words, how do we process this new reality and express how we feel? Where can you go when inside is in chaos?

The 136-word poem was divided randomly and assigned to artists out of context to create a visual art piece of each word. With the words reassembled in the order of the poem, the viewer experiences language from a disjointed perspective, much like the confused space of someone who can no longer communicate. Meaning and comprehension becomes subjective as each viewer takes in the newly arranged poem in an unconventional way.

Join us for this and other programming in relation to this exhibition.

Partly sponsored by The Haus at Market.