Vowel #64 (E) 1996

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Edward Ruscha's "Vowel #64 (E)" at the Tate. It is modest in scale. The support measures roughly 250 by 255 mm. Editor: My initial impression is that it evokes the cosmos, an "E" adrift in a starfield. The letter itself feels monumental. Curator: Ruscha, born in 1937, was deeply engaged with the pop art movement and the aesthetics of commercial culture. His choice of a single letter removes it from textual meaning, transforming it into a designed object. Editor: And yet the "E", so prevalent in language, whispers of unspoken words, of everything that begins with or contains that sound. It's an alphabet in isolation, like a fragment of memory. The yellow speckling suggests the constant presence of language. Curator: The "E" is crafted by what appears to be a deliberate application of material, a flat signifier of design and a gesture toward labor. The process is quite accessible, democratizing the artistic endeavor. Editor: I find this work poignant; the simplicity and boldness of the "E" against that speckled background speak to the enduring power of symbols. Curator: I see process and intent. Editor: I see possibility and reverberation.