Papercut Letters by Annie Vought

There was a time, like 15 years ago, when my art teacher asked me and my classmates to make a craft. We got a piece of art paper (A4), 250gr, with a picture of traditional puppets elaborate on it. What we had to do is cut out some parts that have been determined, including the part that is in the center of the image, so detail. My work was finished for about 4 days, using paper knife. Really needed patience to finish it, but at that time honestly I did not understand at all the essence of that craft, other than the result was quite interesting after colored.

Seeing these works by Annie Vought in the present reminds me of that experience, "SO, it was actually papercut!", and how amazing to see there are artists who still do it, that I know, not many.

Unlike Joe Bagley and Hina Aoyama, papercut by Annie looks more focused on typography, form of writings, like handwriting. The handwriting and the lines support the structure of the cut paper, keeping it strong and sculptural, despite its apparent fragility. She says that in these paper cutouts, she focuses "on the text, structure, and emotion of the letter in an elaborate investigation into the properties of writing and expression. Penmanship, word choice, and spelling all contribute to possible narratives about who that person is and what they are like."

Meanwhile, the basic idea of making Typography as her main work is Email, text messages and Twitter provide us with the ability to stay in touch as never before, but with it we lose "fragments of individual histories. In the penmanship, word choice, and spelling the author is often revealed in spite of him/herself. A letter is physical confirmation of who we were at the moment it was written, or all we have left of a person or a time", says Annie.