“YAWP”, first used by Walt Whitman in the fifty-second verse of “Song of Myself” from his book “Leaves of Grass”, means to passionately cry out or shout with energy. The poem discusses man's place in nature and how he will return to nature upon death.
The goal of the project was to replicate a four letter word out of objects that speak to the word's meaning. This scene displays brass casings marking 52 shootings across the nation. The empty state of each brass along with the black and white map suggests that the events are in the past. The word, formed out of individual grass blades, represents the hopeful cry of family members, loved ones, or anyone who feels for those lost in shootings as they band together to overcome the past through strength. Likewise, the word is spelled out in majuscules to add energy and to reflect the neutral state of mourning while being hopeful despite the ever looming threat.
