Polysemy2013

polysemy, n.

The fact of having several meanings; the possession of multiple meanings, senses, or connotations. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Language is ridiculous. At a moment saturated by constant access to information, copyright, and remix culture, any one word can only be defined in pluralities.

[FUCK]

as defined sporadically by the Oxford English Dictionary, the Urban Dictionary, and Wikipedia

Fuck: [with object] have sexual intercourse with (someone).

Fuck: The universally recognized "F word"

Fuck: [no object] (of two people) have sexual intercourse.

Fuck: Implying complete and utter confusion

Fuck: ruin or damage (something).

Fuck: a really stupid person

Fuck: an act of sexual intercourse.

Fuck: To procreate

Fuck: [with adjective] a sexual partner.

Fuck: Can be used to modify any word for more passion

Fuck: used alone or as a noun (the fuck) or a verb in various phrases to express anger, annoyance, contempt, impatience, or surprise, or simply for emphasis.

Fuck: Expresses disgust

Fuck: Expresses complete suprise and joy

Fuck: Can be used to make a command more urgent

Fuck: The origin of the word is obscure. It is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475, but it may be considerably older. In modern usage, fuck and its derivatives (such as fucker and fucking) can be used in the position of a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. There are many common phrases which make use of the word, as well as a number of compounds incorporating it, such as motherfucker.

I have long been fascinated by the ways that we understand the correlation between a signifier (especially the written word) and the signified that it represents. How do we understand the words that we read and to what extent does the context in which those words are presented shape the meaning that we attribute to them? For me, one of the most interesting examples of polysemy (the ability of a word to have several meanings) is the way that we understand the words that we use as expletives, especially because these words are often culturally loaded in dual and contradictory ways. What is the signified when we exclaim “Fuck,” “Shit,” or “Jesus” and how can we understand these signifiers in relation to all of the potential contexts in which they may be reinscribed? When we say “Jesus,” are we referring to the religious figure? Maybe our particular use of the word is unrelated to religious iconography, instead acting as exclamation of frustration or pleasure. Polysemy will address these issues through a rapid fire montage that combines single frames of a variety of images that range from cutouts of Playboy images to war stills to religious iconography as well as more abstract images and shapes with frames that read either “Fuck,” “Shit,” or “Jesus.” By only allowing each image a single frame, the viewer will experience a visual overload. Bombarded by simultaneous and conflicting signifiers and their potential signified, each viewer will be forced to connect spontaneous and potentially challenging images to expletives in unique and personal ways.