Myth of Sisyphus developed at the Royal College of Art from an investigation into language, repetition and structure. Reading Albert Camus’ book, I marked sentences and words for their intensity, meaning or rhythm. These fragments became the material from which the work was constructed.

Using letterpress, language is repeated, rotated and layered until reading begins to shift towards looking. Text becomes image; repetition produces rhythm; orientation changes perception. The repetitive process of printing echoes the recurring action at the centre of Camus’ myth.

Originally conceived as two volumes, with four copies of each page, the work ultimately resisted the form of the book. The individual pages became stronger as prints, allowing the language to be encountered as a sequence of autonomous but related works.

Volume 1 — Blue (April 2006 – May 2007)
Futura Light, 10 pt
Millennium Laser, 250 gsm
Letterpress on paper

Volume 2 — Red (February -April 2006)
Futura Bold, 14 pt
Futura Medium, 14 pt
Munken Print Extra 15, 300 gsm
Letterpress on paper

Context
MA Communication Art & Design (CA&D), Royal College of Art
Related project: Gridlock, April 2006–May 2007
Tutors: Richard Bonner-Morgan, Alan Kitching, Sam Winston
Technician: Ian Gabb