Father Tongue, mural (detail), 2015, graphite and ink on drywall with plywood extensions, total wall expanse approximately 8' x 52' with 6" protrusion. — *Father Tongue, mural (detail)*, 2015, graphite and ink on drywall with plywood extensions, total wall expanse approximately 8' x 52' with 6" protrusion.

FATHER TONGUE is a multi-disciplinary project based on five characters from the Hebrew alphabet that each consist of a single right angle. Their identity as readable letters is challenged as their orientation is repeatedly flipped and the spaces between them collapse and expand. The project began with a handmade paper edition developed at a residency at the Brodsky Center supported by an NEA grant (fall, 2014). This was followed by a sound piece exploring the vocal abstraction of the same letters and a reference to Genesis 1, the biblical source that describes the elements of the first day of creation: chaos, light, and dark. As HBI artist-in-residence (spring, 2015) the project expanded for a solo exhibition at Kniznick Gallery (Brandeis University), becoming a vast mural, a series of drawings on paper, and a live durational vocal and movement performance.

Father Tongue, 2015, details of solo exhibition at Kniznick Gallery.

Father Tongue, Sound Piece, 2014. A vocal performance in collaboration with Spencer Frohwirth. Duration: 4:29 loop.

Preferred listening with headphones.

Father Tongue (Genesis 1), 2014-2015

Handmade paper and stenciled pulp paint, 28 x 58 inches

Collaborator: Anne Q. McKeown, The Brodsky Center at Rutgers University

Variant Edition of 10

Photo Credit: Peter Jacobs