Amber Landgraff
Sample Kiss
2007, Performance
I offer samples of the ends of relationships to people walking past through the guise of a lipstick sample booth. There are four different types of rejection on offer, each corresponding with its own shade of lipstick; a bitter kiss, a jealous kiss, an unwanted kiss, and a goodbye kiss. I am constantly rejected [...]
Positive Reinforcement
2007, professionally engraved staplers.
photograph: Miles Collyer
I had an edition of 10 staplers professionally engraved with the text “Hold It Together,” in an attempt to challenge our use of an everyday object. The actual function of a stapler is one of reinforcement, however with the addition of the text the reinforcement being offered changes from a physical [...]
There is Nothing Left to Say
2007, digital photographs. 12 x 18 inches.
I explore the act of communicating even when there is nothing left to communicate. Using book covers I spell out the cliché “There is Nothing Left to Say,” I use other people’s words to speak even in the midst of my inability to say anything of importance.
Love Poems
Ongoing, Performance
I sell, barter, or give away love poems written on the spot on a broken typewriter. The love poems are written about whatever people ask; the underground rivers in Toronto, a combination of socks and disco balls, the semicolon. Each poem is written from my perspective and knowledge of the object and often have [...]
Confessions (I Lied)
2007, fabric banner. A bedroom window, Guelph, ON
I attempt to be honest by hanging confessions in windows while simultaneously thwarting my attempts at honesty by a forced anonymity and a purposefully cryptic confession.
Please Hold Hands
2007, Engraved Plastic Signs. 8 x 10 inches.
A continuation of my exploration of mimicking official signage, “Please Hold Handrails” is subtly changed to “Please Hold Hands.”
Lost/Found
2006, Intervention, Brass Plaque and Bird Seed
Using the recognizable terms of lost and found I create a subtle intervention into our perception of the space around us by drawing attention to places I dub lost or found. The found acts as a permanent display for those who find it, and the lost is subtly lost [...]
Sign Piece
2006, vinyl signs. 12 x 8 inches.
I commissioned a sign company to produce signs using vinyl text on boards with the same font and colours as official signage, legitimizing the sentiments produced. I’m Sorry We’re Closed became Hold Me Close. The signs were then displayed in public locations, allowing for them to be (mis)read.
General Instructions #1: On Walking
2004, Postcards
A humorous attempt at challenging people to focus on the way that they move through the world, these postcards offer friendly instructions explaining how to walk. I had 500 postcards printed and then left them in public spaces, including a coffee shop and a bookstore.