The Dictionary of Lost Words is a novel that explores the influence of white male perspective on what words were (or were not) included in the first Oxford Dictionary. During the turn of the 19th century in England, the oral language of the working class, especially women, was excluded from the dictionary.
Using an x-acto knife, I removed 2000+ words that referenced tradespeople, suffragettes, and servants as well as words related to women when the rules of society were not in their favor (i.e., schooling, marriage, pregnancy, work, intellectual respect).
This artwork is in the Words Matter exhibition at the Va Beach Art Center, September 1-Oct 1, 2023.
