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Selections from "God Bless America: Reading the Signs" Inkjet
prints backlit on commercial signs and 12 archival ink jet prints God Bless America: Reading the Signs, began as an attempt to deal with the tragic events of 9/11/2001. As periodic escapes from my studio became necessary to maintain a calm routine in the weeks that followed, I noticed an unexpected sentiment from the roadside business of a wounded nation-shifts in consumer-targeted signs of solidarity. After the initial shock had passed, a supportive outpouring began to dominate these billboards and road signs in hand-lettered phrases from our official and unofficial national anthems. In an ironic twist, I was particularly struck by the fact that over time, it became increasingly difficult to separate the more heartfelt messages from the signs that also advertised daily specials and sale items. It also seemed that the simple act of lettering the phrase, "God Bless America" could act as a charm to offer protection for the enterprise or to encourage more business. Whereas capitalism was one of the intended targets of the terrorist attacks, these billboards and road signs serve to encourage consumer spending in a landscape of commerce that has been marked and is fighting back. The flash animated series God Bless America: Reading the Signs is on view at www.lizlinder.com/godblessamerica.
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