Sha Towers ~ Texas

We Are Writing These Things
By Sha Towers
Waco, Texas: Sha Towers, 2018. Edition of 6 variants.

3.75 x 6"; 8 panels. Double-sided accordion structure. One sheet book. Materials: sumi and walnut inks, watercolor, paper. Signed, dated and numbered by the artist. Laid in paper case with slip and slot closure.

Sha Towers: "'We Are Writing These Things' is a variable edition of unique and handmade calligraphic artist's books reflecting on a line from a speech given by Kevin Slavin at a 2011 TEDGlobal talk on 'how algorithms shape our world.' In this talk, Slavin said, 'We are writing these things that we can no longer read . . . we've rendered something illegible . . . and we've lost the sense of what's actually happening in this world we've made.' In this artistic interpretation of Slavin's thought-provoking quote, I've dissected and reassembled fragments of the text, blending them with other mark making that explores ideas of language, communication, illegibility, and fragmentation and the dislocation, disconnection, and dissonance that remains in the wake.

"I chose the accordion structure to represent the possibility of continuity of thought and line juxtaposed with the fragmented representations that paint a picture of lost meaning and illegibility. I used sumi and walnut inks and watercolors with a variety of tools (brushes, folded pens, micron pens and blades) to create the various marks and text fragments."
$375 edition

We Are Writing These Things, Special #1
By Sha Towers
Waco, Texas: Sha Towers, 2018. One-of-a-kind.

3.75 x 4.5"closed. Accordion fold extending from front. Materials: Sumi and walnut inks, gum Arabic, and gesso. Images created with brushes, folded pens, and ruling pens for the mark making. Outer wrapper constructed from amate bark paper and vellum. Flat-hinged, non-adhesive binding. Laid in wraparound paper wrapper with slip and slot closure. Signed and dated by the artist.

This is a unique presentation of the variable edition created by Sha Towers of "We Are Writing These things" a calligraphic reflection on a line from a speech given by Kevin Slavin at a 2011 TEDGlobal talk on 'how algorithms shape our world.'

Sha Towers: "I chose the accordion structure to represent the possibility of continuity of thought and line juxtaposed with the fragmented representations that paint a picture of lost meaning and illegibility. I used sumi and walnut inks, gum Arabic, and gesso with brushes, folded pens and ruling pens for the mark making. The outer wrapper was constructed from amate bark paper and vellum suggesting elements of puzzle and hiddenness reflected in the text. This work incorporates a flat-hinged, non-adhesive binding for the structure made of 140 lb. watercolor paper with mark making in the spirit of manuscript palimpsests in which language is evolved, overlayed, and lost."
$600

We Are Writing These Things, Special #2
By Sha Towers
Waco, Texas: Sha Towers, 2018. One-of-a-kind.

3.75 x 4.5"; 8 panels. Double-sided accordion. Materials: Sumi and walnut inks, gum Arabic, and gesso. Images created with brushes, folded pens and ruling pens. Outer wrapper constructed from amate bark paper and vellum. Slip and slot closure. Signed and dated by the artist.

This is a unique presentation of the variable edition created by Sha Towers of "We Are Writing These things" a calligraphic reflection on a line from a speech given by Kevin Slavin at a 2011 TEDGlobal talk on 'how algorithms shape our world.'

Sha Towers: "I chose the accordion structure to represent the possibility of continuity of thought and line juxtaposed with the fragmented representations that paint a picture of lost meaning and illegibility. I used sumi and walnut inks, gum Arabic, and gesso with brushes, folded pens and ruling pens for the mark making. The outer wrapper was constructed from amate bark paper and vellum suggesting elements of puzzle and hiddenness reflected in the text."
$500