Sign Language: Alter-Native Signs gives alternative directions by Rani Molla, 5.31.11, Santa Fe Reporter
Words are meaningless—until, of course, they have meaning. Linguist Ferdinand de Saussure made major headway in the world of words with his treatise on signs, which consist of the relationship between the signifier (a symbol) and the signified (that which it represents). For example, a sign is the word “tree,” the signifier is the sound “tree” and the signified is the thought “tree.” “Tree” in itself has no inherent value—it neither looks like a tree nor sounds like a tree—it’s just an arbitrary term.
John Randall Nelson further deconstructs the relationship between the signifier and the signified using a literal interpretation of signs—notably the ones found on street corners. In Alter-Native Signs: New Paintings and Sculptures, Nelson posits street signs in new contexts—bisecting them, incorporating them into paintings and conglomerating them into sculptures. To read more.
Image Gallery – John Randall Nelson, ‘Alter-Native Signs’