Blog Post: Klara Vith

Date of publishing: 31/10/2019 - one of the many prolonged ‘Brexit Days’ we have endured so far, and at the time of writing we are still facing the unknown. Citizens, no matter of which political side, have been told many times what to do, for example:

You Should Now Make Arrangements to Leave.

I am strangely drawn to these instructions. Fragments that are directive, commanding, or seek to manipulate – obscurely or obviously so. They have been generated through a system of some kind, and they are set in a particular structure. Often, I return to the reproduction of these texts in my work through letterpress, where every letter demands equal focus from the compositor. ‘And he will have not only to have announced some news, but also to have archived it: to have put it, as it were, to the press: (...)’<sup>1

Unfortunate Error, 2019, letterpress on Somerset Satin</sup>

By removing any preconceptions brought about by the words’ original location, medium and appearance, they are ultimately rendered more visible. Using re-contextualisation as a tool, I work through the language of materiality, technologies and process. Their intrinsic connotations transfer onto the words, which in turn affects readings. I aim to create situations where our reading habits are at odds with the text itself.

^{Untitled (12 day capsules), 2018, vinyl}

We follow what we are told by various ‘Terms and Conditions’, by the leaflets accompanying over-the-counter paracetamol, and by template letters sent out by the Home Office. Words like to instruct us, and we like to be instructed by words. Get ready for Brexit.

You’ll need to apply to continue living in the UK.


^{Untitled (We may revise these terms from time to time), 2018, vinyl}

_{1. Derrida, J. (1995). Archive Fever. In: Merewether, C. ed. (2006) Archive. Documents of Contemporary Art. London: Whitechapel, p. 76.}