An installation for Art in Romney Marsh at New Romney Church

A Thousand Words

On entering the church I was struck by the absence of images and the wealth of text and remembered ‘Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of anything that is in Heaven, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.’

I collected words taken firstly from the inscriptions on permanent features; headstones, plaques, carvings and canvases and then also from more modern additions such as hymn books, orders of service, public information notices, posters, pamphlets and even a discarded sweet wrapper. I selected the words for their emotive power, the force of their connotations and the impact of their existing ornamentation and colour.

My intension was to present the viewer with a thousand single words, each enhanced by colour, a gesture of the brush, a pencil mark, a printed impression, captured though a camera lens... some on tiny scraps of paper - precious or throw-away, some oils on canvas, some objects made from found materials, some glossy or faded photographs... some propped against walls, some slid into hymn books, some pinned on the notice board, some in hidden in secret corners, some left to take their chances outside against the elements.

Each word sparks in me intricate connotations, memories often reflecting both the positive and challenging fundamentals of life; births, deaths & marriages. I hope viewers of this work will experience similar emotional and intellectual responses which are at once instinctive & basic, deep and highly complex.

As with any large collection I expect the desire to categorise and select to be a common response. I already find myself creating relationships between pairs and groups of words and considering with the effect of their placement as they are installed around the space. Visitors may find themselves mentally grouping words together making both meaningful sentences and silly phrases, or matching my images to the actual text found in and around the church, then searching and finding other pairs.

This installation was a collaborative project; others’ subjective interpretations of words interest me. I worked with Art students from Rye College, Dance and Music students from Homewood School and Sixth form Centre, fellow artists, friends and family.

A picture paints a thousand words; in the absence of pictures a thousand words may suffice.

Paula MacArthur 2010