Length 4
Print
1970 (made)
1970 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Gerald Ferguson (born USA 1937) moved to Canada in 1968 to teach at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design under the Presidency of Garry Neill Kennedy. His early work was associated with Minimalism.
The imagery of this print is entirely made up of text printed in regular columns. The title Length 4 is a reference to the fact that all the words are English four-letter words. Some are crossed out, not because they are wrong, but because there are (deliberate) errors in the printing. Of course a 'four-letter word' is also a swear word. Ferguson's work here satirises the idea that some words can be arbitrarily considered bad, inelegant or inappropriate in some contexts. This print is part of a series, a book-work, a 'dictionary' arranged by word-length, which questions the ways in which we use and classify our language. And since we define and describe our world through language, these questions are extended to wider issues of division and classification, political and social.
The imagery of this print is entirely made up of text printed in regular columns. The title Length 4 is a reference to the fact that all the words are English four-letter words. Some are crossed out, not because they are wrong, but because there are (deliberate) errors in the printing. Of course a 'four-letter word' is also a swear word. Ferguson's work here satirises the idea that some words can be arbitrarily considered bad, inelegant or inappropriate in some contexts. This print is part of a series, a book-work, a 'dictionary' arranged by word-length, which questions the ways in which we use and classify our language. And since we define and describe our world through language, these questions are extended to wider issues of division and classification, political and social.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Length 4 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Lithograph on paper |
| Brief description | Length 4, 1970 |
| Physical description | Rectangular image made up of columns of text. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Copy number | 45/50 |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | Given by NSCAD University |
| Production | Printed by the University Press at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Gerald Ferguson (born USA 1937) moved to Canada in 1968 to teach at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design under the Presidency of Garry Neill Kennedy. His early work was associated with Minimalism. The imagery of this print is entirely made up of text printed in regular columns. The title Length 4 is a reference to the fact that all the words are English four-letter words. Some are crossed out, not because they are wrong, but because there are (deliberate) errors in the printing. Of course a 'four-letter word' is also a swear word. Ferguson's work here satirises the idea that some words can be arbitrarily considered bad, inelegant or inappropriate in some contexts. This print is part of a series, a book-work, a 'dictionary' arranged by word-length, which questions the ways in which we use and classify our language. And since we define and describe our world through language, these questions are extended to wider issues of division and classification, political and social. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.3535-2004 |
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| Record created | May 8, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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