A Mouthful of Words

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A Mouthful of Words

Artist Lesley Dill (American, born 1950)

Date1997

DimensionsOverall: 51 15/16 x 51 7/16 in. (132 x 130.7 cm);
Framed: 55 x 54 3/4 in. (139.7 x 139 cm)

Mediumcharcoal, photography, thread, scraper on paper (one of a kind)

ClassificationPhotographs

Credit LineWinthrop H. Perry Fund

Object number

2000.6

Not on View

Description[wall label] Lesley Dill American, born 1950 A Mouthful of Words 1997 Gelatin-silver photograph, charcoal, thread, scraper Winthrop H. Perry Fund, 2000.6

Label TextLanguage is the touchstone, the pivot point of all my work. Lesley Dill visualizes how we use language to declare our identities. In A Mouthful of Words, she strings ribbons and cut-out paper strands of Emily Dickinson’s (1830–1886) poetry from the mouth of a young man—is he releasing them or choking on them? We can make out only random words and phrases (“room it seems,” “poverty”), which suggests the inadequacy of language as a means of self-expression. Dill also emphasizes the instability of language by sewing on threads leading from the ribbons so that the words themselves seem to be unraveling. This work is a result of collaboration between Dill and University of Memphis student volunteers who posed for a series of photographs for Dill. The photographer was David Horan.Published ReferencesA Mouthful of Words (Memphis, 1997) Princenthal, Nancy, "Word of Mouth: Leslie Dill’s Work on Paper," On Paper 2, no.4 Mar-Apr. 1998Exhibition HistoryLesley Dill: a Mouth Full of Words, Art Museum, University of Memphis, 1997 Lesley Dill: In Black and White, George Adams Gallery, New York 1997 TMA New Acquisitions in Graphic Arts, Dec. 21, 2001-March 30, 2002; TMA, Word Play (October 16, 2009- February 7, 2010)