liz sergeant
Presence through Absence
3 x A2 Photographs
March 2008
Rhythmic stanzas conveying the illusion of meaning are overlaid onto seductive images recalling both the function and the aesthetic of advertising.
Yet whilst the clarity of the images draws the viewer in, the text remains ambiguous. Seemingly random words appear to read like poetry, yet the meaning is veiled. Like an enigma, they are offering clues, suggesting the Absent word through their Presence.
The Absent words were all commodities made available as a result of slave labour. The Slave Trade Act of 1807 made this trade illegal throughout the British Empire, and its 200th anniversary was commemorated in 2007.