WORDS ./?/! is a collection of text-based graphics for apparel and accessories trying to make sense of doomscrolling.
Original artwork. Made in NYC. Printed in US and Canada.
• WORDS ./?/! exhibition at Positive Exposure - September 2026
83 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor
Financial District, New York MAP
Positive Exposure is a NYC non-profit (est. 1977) promoting a more inclusive and equitable world through award-winning photography, films, lectures, exhibitions and education programs to effect a sea-change in societal attitudes towards individuals living with genetic, physical, behavioral or intellection difference.
• WORDS ./?/! - DEI edition available online here
_______________________________
DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) related words have been flagged and replaced or entirely banned across federal agencies and departments as a result of a March 2025 executive order targeting DEI initiatives as a “divisive and corrosive ideology.”
According to this administration, this crackdown on DEI and the renaming actions of departments, military bases and geographical features are in the name of promoting “more positive views of American history.”
It has affected public facing documents, internal policies and hiring practices, foreign aid, cultural research and programming, monuments, scientific research, emergency shelters, education and health programs - resulting in words like depopulation trending and name changes such as that of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
*** DEI Word Shirt Video | DEI Words at NEW INC’s 2025 DEMO Festival
_______________________________
Prior to covid, I placed words, information and what I described as ‘uneasy or difficult thoughts’ in the lining of the pockets and interior of MA-1 bomber jackets. My hope was that by keeping text on the exterior to a minimum, that viewers might be more intrigued to ask about the scientific images and infographics on the exterior.
Traditionally, the MA-1 bomber jacket has an army green exterior and neon orange interior, so that the jacket could be reversed and used as an SOS signal in case of a plane crash.
Covid was a plane crash.