Belong

What words belong?

In March 2025 The New York Times published a list of words US federal agencies were to avoid, limit, or remove according to government memos. One of those words was belong.

As noted in the article, “… the words and phrases listed here represent a marked — and remarkable — shift in the corpus of language being used both in the federal government’s corridors of power and among its rank and file.”

As the list of censored words continues to grow, this triptych is a meditation on one particular word. Slowly molded, transformed, and cast in transparent material, the word belong is submerged in resins of varying opacity.

A corresponding t-shirt design is available in the Shop, check it out here.