Sound of Silence Poster
This piece is a tribute to those women that came forward against Harvey Weinstein, which accelerated the “me too” movement begun by Tarana Burke. Seen here are the names of the Weinstein accusers (as of October 2017) breaking through the lyrics of the Simon & Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence.” The overall shape of the letters form The Weinstein Company logo, which is dissolving into an hourglass. This symbolizes how societal change can take a long time, but these women coming forward has set that change in motion.
For me, the “me too” movement has been both incredibly empowering and saddening. As wonderful as it is to see people speaking out against those who have sexually harassed and assaulted them, it’s never enjoyable to find out that the actors, news anchors, politicians, etc. that we loved have done awful things. These moments can also dredge up terrible memories for sexual assault victims, particularly when social media feeds are filled with friends and family sharing their own stories. While I personally have been harassed and touched-against-my-will, I never felt strong enough to tweet or post about my experiences – even though I am I proud of those who did choose to share their stories. Perhaps it’s because my own experiences are complex and nuanced, and I cared about those individuals, in spite of their wrong-doings. But I realize that is true for many of the people who spoke up too, and that is part of why it takes so much strength for them to share.
This poster was a part of the group exhibition Typo-Poetry: Despite Black and White in Sound at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Hall Gallery and was accepted into the 2018 FL3TCH3R Juried Exhibition. And I’m also honored to say that it is now a part of the traveling exhibition “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” (read a bit about it here and here).
Seen here is the Weinstein Company logo, which I reference in the overall form of the hourglass.
The Sound of Silence lyrics
Simon & Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence”
This poster continues to be a part of the international traveling exhibition “Women’s Rights are Human Rights,” and is seen at the Limerick School of Art & Design TUS (above) from 2022.
This poster received a Silver Award by Graphis and is featured in the Graphis 2019 Poster Annual. It also was one of only two Golds awarded by the United Design Alliance in the 2018 UDA Poster Awards (in the category of Experimental Designs). The poster also received a 2018 Merit Award from HOW International, a Silver ADDY at the Western Virginia Advertising Awards, and a Silver Indigo Design Award in Tokyo, Japan.