Liza Sylvestre
b. 1983, Minneapolis, MN; lives and works in Urbana, IL
Interference 8/12/21, 2021
Ink on paper
Interference 7/26/21, 2021
Ink on paper
Interference 7/29/21, 2021
Ink on paper
Courtesy of the artist
Can language communicate experience? Interference is an ongoing drawing project that visualizes patterns of loss. Liza Sylvestre begins by recording her private thoughts. She then returns to redact the parts of the words that she is unable to hear because of her hearing loss. The resulting drawings are a kind of metric: they measure what Sylvestre can and cannot hear. But they also visualize a new kind of language, one that represents the gaps that can occur during communication. Interference explores the slippages between language, communication, and understanding. What does language exclude from our understanding of someone else? While we can read parts of what Sylvestre is saying, we will never fully understand all of her thoughts. In this way, her hearing loss is protective, concealing her private experience within the public space of this exhibition.
Artist Description
A white piece of paper is densely covered with faint handwritten text in black ink. Scattered throughout the writing are bold, irregular black marks that resemble thick horizontal scribbles or static. These interruptions obscure parts of the text, appearing like glitches or distortions. The handwriting is consistent and cursive, conveying a personal or intimate tone. The dark scribbles create a pattern of visual noise, disrupting the legibility and rhythm of the writing. The overall effect evokes the sensation of interference or fragmented communication.
-- Description by Jeff Kasper
Basic Description
Three sheets of off-white paper framed on a wall, densely filled with writing. Markings throughout the drawings cover parts of the words, making them illegible and evoking a sense of obscured or lost communication.