Through his sculptures, Michael Dean (United Kingdom, 1977) addresses themes related to language. His installations can be considered writing that occurs in space, in which the objects, along with their architectural context and the spectators observing them, are all part of a system of signs. His pieces evoke both the human body and typographic shapes, in what Dean describes as a physical form of writing that uses materials normally employed in construction sites, such as concrete.
The sculptures in Your Text Here are surrounded by yellow hazard tape normally used as a warning to demarcate a space where there might be risks, such as construction sites or an area under police investigation. Some of the tapes have the title of the exhibition repeatedly printed on them, a phrase that can be found on any form, template or product to be personalized, and signals a blank space to be filled in. At the same time, this phrase highlights the many readings that can be derived from an artwork, depending on the way each spectator relates to it.
Additionally, the sculptures evoke human figures with recognizable shapes that represent body parts, such as fists and tongues. The body is always part of the process of communication, broadening the possibilities and limits of language, even beyond its oral and written formats. In this case, writing has been turned into objects situated in space, which also implies the physical presence of the spectator who can circulate through the text itself.