Naughty Nasals
Naughty Nasals
2014 acer, wood veneer, blockboard, wheels, fabric, foam, dimensions variable
The Russian Cyrillization of Polish was introduced in the Russian partition in the nineteenth century. Two Polish letters in particular were problematic: the “ą” and the “ę.” These nasals had disappeared from
most other Slavic languages. The solution came via letters from the Old Slavonic language, Ѫѫ (big yus) and Ѧѧ (little yus): Naughty Nasals underline the affront of Orthodox- Cyrillic on a Catholic-Latin identity. Slavs and Tatars have transformed
the letters into furniture resembling portable confession booths. The act of confession involves the deepest intimacy and works on the libidinal function of speech.