The Condensed OED, vols. 1 and 2

vol. 1: screenprint on fabric, clamshell box | 13.25″ x 11.125″ x 2.25″ (closed), 45″ x 72″ (open) | 2012–2018

vol. 2: screenprint on fabric, clamshell box | 13.5″ x 12.125″ x 2.25″ (closed), 42″ x 90″ (open) | 2012–2018

The Condensed OED

The Condensed OED represents the complex web of connections between words found in the dictionary. Each line ties together words with a similar meaning, use, or history, generating a dense field of linguistic associations within the Oxford English Dictionary. These two pieces are variations on a larger project produced during my apprenticeship at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. The boxed “volumes” suggest the delimited list defined by a dictionary, while the large, expansive interior panels hint at the living, growing possibilities of a language’s lexicon.