These neon signs are not your everyday signs that invite you in to an open shop or direct you to the nearest exit. Rather, visual artist Tim Etchells uses more complex text in the form of neon lettering to create a public deconstruction of language. Each simple, glowing phrase invites the viewer into a fragmented narrative and, “The viewer becomes implicated in a situation that’s never fully revealed.”
The signs are like publicly displayed giant text messages that spark a curiosity about the author and recipient of the words. Is the viewer getting a glimpse into an intimate relationship? Is there a true need for rescue? What will the future bring? Oftentimes, the statements are irresolvable ideas that, “Seem to make sense at first glance,” the artist suggests, “but there’s often something in its apparent simplicity which creates an undertow.”
