Words have power.
Whether we want them to or not, they form our communication of happiness and sadness, anger, frustration and joy. They can trigger memories, rekindle loves, inspire hate and creativity.
Without them we would be lost.
And this is why I went to visit the Forming Words exhibition at Manchester Craft and Design Centre.
The exhibition is on a tour, having first been shown at the Flow Gallery in London in April. It’s now on at MCDC until early November. As someone who has been fascinated by words and text since I was a child, I find it utterly compelling.
Each of the 17 international artists has taken a piece of text – whether it’s a book, poetry, lyrics – they’ve used this either directly by encapsulating the words in their art, or indirectly, by translating the words into images. Handwriting is intrinsically woven into jewellery, inscribed into clay, crafted into metal work.
Words of love in thread, to those directly using the pages of a book.
Perhaps my favourite piece is by Jonathan Boyd. It depicts a broken pencil with the words that it could have written spilling out of it’s centre.
The exhibition is on until Sunday 9 November and the artworks are present all over the Centre, not just in the main exhibition area. I didn’t manage to see them all in my brief visit on Saturday, so I know I’ll be back.
If you find words as captivating as I do, I’ll probably see you there.
