Backflipping Through the Abecedary

 In Backflipping Through the Abecedary, I analyze the methods by which harmful patriarchal beliefs become internalized and replicated. The piece uses a continuous feed dot- matrix printer to create movement and real time interaction. A gray scale sequence of a woman performing slow motion backflips emerges from the machine as a scroll of paper feeds through the printer. The images are created with a graphic design technique called ASCII Art, which utilizes alphabetic characters and symbols to create a multi-tonal black and white image. ASCII stands for “American Standard Code for Information Interchange” and is a standard character encoding system for electronic communication. Each progressive image is composed of a sequential letter of the alphabet. The letter’s strokes and counters create areas of darkness and light to contour the form of the figure. As the spooled paper loops around, an alphabetized poem is printed over the images. The poem is composed of verbs that describe the psychological and habitual behaviors that I, and many women feel conditioned to perform as we navigate our everyday lives. These roles are complex, and may benefit women while also harming them. Roles are repeated, often without recognition of their harm. Actions cycle in an insistent alphabetic order, printing a record onto the pages with each rotation of the reel. An asynchronous voice recording of the poem speaks softly in the background, emphasizing the sound of each letter. As the pages traverse from the printer’s feed tray, they travels around a system of loops and twists that fill the small room where the piece is housed. The mechanical screeching of the printing apparatus announces each line. Alphabetic structure is repeated continuously; highlighting the force behind the repetitive and demanding acts the figure performs. It creates a structure for repetition to thrive.