Forget to Forget (2018) is an ongoing collection of neon-sign gifs. The series comprise of a curated list of phrases, broken down into multitudes of meaning— also known as subtext. English is a complicated language and the semiotics of speech between two people are even more so.
Lines such as, "we're happy," and, "I'm okay," or, "don't worry," are often used passively to averse tension, avoid issues and disregard awareness to the listener of their problems (very much like fawning). However, there are multiple sides to consider a sentence upon hearing their voice, body gesture, and facial expression. Sometimes, words that aren't verbally spoken can be physically seen or demonstrated through body language.
Through text, the words can become lost. It becomes hard to reach for help when one cannot see it past a pixelated screen.
This is an ode to words that are hard to speak, phrases so hard to share, and the battles that go on from a broken, beat-down, and very tired smile.
"I suppose," "we were happy." "We were supposed to be happy" "I forgot we were supposed to be happy"