Sarah Hulsey

MEDIUM: Artists’ books, printmaking

STUDIO LOCATION: 205

My work is concerned with the hidden, structural beauty of language. Language is a deeply human trait that we use in every aspect of our lives, though its workings are largely mysterious to us as speakers. From a very young age our minds are in a highly receptive state, listening for the patterns, rhythm, and regularity of which all languages are composed, but by adulthood we no longer notice these things. My work draws attention back to those patterns deep in our minds and their rich, varied beauty.

I explore the systems of language that we use so effortlessly—phonetics, syntax, etymology, etc.—through prints that isolate an aspect of a text and create a visual correlate of its structure. I use historical maps and diagrams as a touchstone, adopting their forms and techniques as a way to represent rich linguistic patterns. By linking an area of language with the visual strategies of the chosen historical image, I am able to generate imagery from the linguistics of the text itself.

Sarah Hulsey

Kata Hull

Steve Imrich