The Word as Flesh
by Natalie Rinehart, THE NEW ORLEANS ART REVIEW
I would venture to guess that Anon, who write so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.
– Virginia Woolf
Take all away from me but leave me Ecstasy, and I am richer then all my Fellow Men –I’ll it becometh me to dwell so wealthily, When at my very Door are those possessing more, In abject poverty
– Emily Dickinson from “A Letter is a Joy of Earth”
SEVEN, NEARLY LIFE-SIZE female figures fashioned out of copper and wire lettering fill the gallery floor. Each form is adorned with a ball gown and ornate headdresses. These “Word Queens” seem to float and glide through the space as if it were a royal ball, as banners of words and phrases are suspended from the ceiling above. The women are headless but most are still ornamented with a crown hanging above the empty headspace. Utilizing text as art has long been a staple for Dill, yet this show advances that idea to a whole new level – one that takes over the entire space of the gallery, where each piece demands a dialogue with the other, and where the viewer is welcomed into the space to become a part of this sculptural installation.
Installation View of Word Queens, 2007
Each of Dill’s Queens is comprised of words either of wire or copper. Some also incorporate foil and steel, as well as white, silver and black paint. Five of the women contain the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Salvador Espriu. Neruda and Tom Sleigh. The other two Queens are made up of random words. The Queen of Copper Letters is a wide-hoop ball gown type form with long sleeves and a headdress that extends out in all directions. The Word Queen of Copper Letters with Suspended Crown depicts another long-sleeved dress with two layers and a moderate Elizabethan ruff collar. A large crown (that bears a striking resemblance to a badminton birdie) remains poised above the dress form. The Word Queen of Itchy Water is created in similar fashion and looks just as it sounds. The soft, flowing lines of the costume structure are layered with spindly copper wiring that comes to points in T’s, giving it an almost barbed wire feel. This is the only Queen form with hands as well as defined feet. This gives her a much more grounded presence than the other figures that appear to almost float off the ground.
The Word Queen of Laughter begins to take flight with outstretched windmill-like flaps on the dress as well as a neck collar that reaches into the air. The letters fluctuate in size – an undulating dress that becomes aesthetically and conceptually playful. Another delightful component to the entire ballroom of ladies are the cast shadows emanating from their ethereal-like forms. Shadows become visual echoes for the plethora of words decorating the forms, truly activating the entire space of the gallery.
The words on the banners above contain clear phrases, whereas the text found within the make-up of the dresses is much harder to distinguish. Interestingly enough, Dill employs a far-reaching docket of poets that is multi-cultural and inclusive of both genders, with their words often speaking to very personal yet universal experiences. Overhead on the word-banners we read phrases such as: “…the itch of the clear water,” “the shadow scratched,” and “…you may laugh but.” Several key Dickinson quotes emerge, “…how ruthless are the gentle,” “…the Light of unanointed,” and “…exhilaration is within.” One telling phrase reads, “take all away from me but leave me ecstasy” from the Dickinson passage speaking to the richness found in one’s own joy and soul that cannot be compared to material possessions. These Word Queen forms assuredly exemplify this intrinsic wealth that Dickinson speaks of, in their constitution of personal language, poetry, and inner thoughts that form these emblematic structures of prosperity- prosperity of the soul. Surely it is a passage that finds special meaning to those of us in New Orleans.
The figures themselves become their own metaphors. Lacking in any specific facial structures, their crowns become a stand-in for the head. They are representative of no woman in particular, and thereby can become icons for all women. Only one of the figures has a set of hands, so that the rest appear only as dresses, furthering this idea of cloaking oneself in a certain dignity or personal paradigm. Dill refuses to specify any certain type of subject for these dresses (with the exclusion of men), so that they become an “everywoman.” Curiously enough, Dill manages to gracefully imbue and empower womanhood with an item long seen as part of feminine mystique – a dress. Be that as it may. Dill manages to transcend any stereotype by means of the physical elements of the dress itself-our own highly individual ways of communication that manifest themselves through spoken language and then through the written word. Word becomes flesh.
Size becomes incredibly important in this exhibition. With nearly-life size figures (depending on your height), Dill invites the viewer into the same space as the queens as one winds their way through these textual ladies. Interaction in the round is key in order to completely appreciate and observe the intricacies of the artist’s work in this case.
One of Dill’s referenced poets, Tom Sleigh, has been described as juxtaposing the elevated with the commonplace. This is certainly true in Word Queens, as the artist creates visual metaphors of wealth and grandeur, while leaving room for any individual. These Queens become universal signifiers for females, despite our misgivings towards fashion or clothing. The artist convinces us to comply with her own choices of imagery, in the breadth and depth of commitment to form and function. Dill becomes a visual poet, mimicking the same effects of the writer: literally constructing, weaving, and wrapping metaphors and allegories with words. She is fleshing out the poet’s text in much the same way as Anselm Keifer’s handling of literary objects and ideas found in works such as Star Books or Books with Wings. Through repetition and intensity of form, Dill’s Word Queens command an audience that speaks not only to women but also to society as a whole.