Alicia Eggert
Alicia Eggert is a multidisciplinary artist whose art practice focuses on the relationship between language, image, and time. In her work, she uses simple everyday words as points of entry into complex intellectual ideas. She uses the communication style of neon signs because they communicate directly with the viewer.
She gives these words physical and material forms - Eggert shapes them in colorful neon letters, sticks them on billboards, or blows them up into inflatable letters. By pulling the words out of their context and making them physical, the audience can experience ideas differently, and learn to understand them better. Eggert's sculptures often have the shape and structure of signs to convey messages that encourage wonder and reflection. "I love signs in general because of how effectively they grab our attention and communicate information. They point out things we would otherwise overlook, and they also signify the existence of something we can't see at all, like the distance to our destination."
“My work functions much like a navigational sign," she tells us. "It asks people to recognize where they are now as individuals and as a society. It stimulates them to identify where they want to be in the future, and encourages them to imagine the routes they can take to get there." In recent years she has been working a lot with neon letters to convey her messages. Eggert:
"I like the way neon is both physical yet intangible. Flashing neon signs typically beckon us to go somewhere or buy something, but I like to use them to prompt people to notice or think about something."
Photo credits: Mike Fleming
She draws her inspiration from physics and philosophy, such as Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity and Plato's Theory of Forms. Eggert: "I try to comprehend the way light travels through spacetime, reveal the relationship between reality and possibility, or explore the difference between being and becoming. My art is rooted in my struggle to understand the linear, finite, and fleeting nature of my own life as it exists within a cyclical and seemingly infinite universe."
Alicia Eggert (1981) is an American artist whose work explores the relationship between language, time, and image. Her work includes sculptures, installations, and interactive media. She lives in Denton, Texas, and teaches at the College of Visual Arts & Design at the University of North Texas.
Photo credits cover: Getty Images for 29Rooms