Tell-Tale III

Tell-Tale III 

Installed at Aurelia Gallery in Santa Fe, NM
130′ in length
Newspaper, plastic, cotton string
2025

Tell-Tale

a gauge
a guide
an indicator of direction
a revealer of the unknown
a tattler
a talebearer
a telltale

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel, Tell-Tale replaces the characters of the fairy tale with contemporary equivalents: Government, Media, Citizens, Captives and Knowledge. 
The role of the evil enchantress Dame Gothel is that of the government. 
Guided by folklore the parents of the unborn Rapunzel are those of us who accept an uneven bargain to sacrifice our rights out of fear generated from a long held but unproven tale. 
Rapunzel is representative of the majority who are held captive by the confines created by others.

Knowledge replaces the Prince who provides relief, hope and the means of escape for Rapunzel but is rather easily duped, manipulated, and blinded.

At its core, the Tell-Tale work is about the crucial role the free press fulfills in protecting our democracy and uniting our communities. Given the rapid consolidation of news outlets, the shuttering of many local newspapers around the country, and the move to distribute news online and over our phones, it is even more critical that newspapers continue to be printed. There is something very tangible, very real, and accountable about the printed word that seems less concrete and substantial when written on a platform that can be edited, manipulated, sensationalized, co-opted, recontectualized, or deleted instantly.