My hands are tied explored the links between language and identity using ritual and performance.

 

I sat at a small table that had been embedded into a wall of coverless books and repeatedly wrote the words My hands are tied over loose book pages using a dipping pen and ink. As each page was completed, I nailed it to the side walls of the gallery. The work questioned the authority of the printed word using the handwriting - normally a marker of individuality. But in this case, the task was useless, as the handwritten words were reduced to an abstraction. 

 

Performances were held daily for 3 hours over a three week period.

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