Gutter Words

Art Exhibition by Jo Hamill, which explores the multifarious occurrences innate within language and in particular the written word.

The James Joyce Centre is delighted to welcome Gutter Words, the latest installation of the exhibition by Jo Hamill. Jo Hamill’s work explores the multifarious occurrences innate within language and in particular the written word. Found stencilled on the walls of the building, it is a work that asks the central question: what needs to be said?

Working with her personal copy of Ulysses, artist Jo Hamill systematically obliterated the words of Joyce but carefully retained those words positioned closest to the gutter — the technical term used to describe the central margin of a bound page. The remaining fragments are an echo of the original, the act of deletion exposes the architectural scaffolding that holds the words in place.