This work is called 'NOT CROSS'. It is a red brick wall that is 11 metres long. The words I AM NOT CROSS are spelt out across it with capital letters that stand out slightly in relief from the surface of the brick. The letters are three metres tall.
The work is about the different ways written language and body language communicate. Capital letters, italics and exclamation marks are the only ways written words can express the intensity of a feeling. But writing essentially removes emotion from language.
People can make a statement like ‘I am not cross’ while their body language conveys the opposite impression, essentially saying one thing when they mean another.
This disconnection between words and body language is something that the artists Kim and Mader have been working with as a subject in their work for some time.
Facial expressions are a key grammatical factor in sign language and this is something that hearing students learning sign language often struggle with. The level of intensity of a facial expression can often mean a world of difference to what is being expressed. Skilled sign language speakers can detect even the slightest inflection. Talking to a person who is not as skilled can lead to frustration and feel like talking to the proverbial brick wall.