Beagle Punctuation
In Beagle Punctuation (2011), two neon question marks and a full stop conjure the image of Snoopy, the star character in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts. The neon pieces have been hand-blown by the artist giving the glass a wobbly, imperfect finish not traditionally seen in neon signage.
Punctuation, as a framing device, resonates with the artist’s constant fascination with language, about which she describes: ‘The relationship between spoken language, written language, and sculptural form relies on an acknowledgement that words are expansions of our physical selves, so I started to explore the physicality of works.’ Banner investigates the superfluous boundaries between object, image, and text in much of her work. The full stop is insightful to this investigation, representing both a beginning and an end.