Description
„Humpty Dumpty” is a reference to the figure Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Caroll\'s Alice in Wonderland – Through the Looking-Glass (1872).
He discusses semantics and pragmatics with Alice. He is the „Master of the words”, the one who „gives them meaning”.
My „Humpty Dumpty” thus sits on a wall out of magazines and newspapers – he is – in a figurative sense – the master of opinion.
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ ” Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you.
I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’ ”
“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master that’s all.”
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they’re the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!”
Exhibited in:
• Behind The Mirror, Solo-show, Foto-Medium-Art Gallery, Kraków, Poland, 2008
• The More You Know, Solo-Show, Miejski Ośrodek Sztuki (MOS) – Galeria Sztuki Najnowszej, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
