First Words, 2000, published by Lightline Press & Gefn Press, London 2000
19 laminated full-colour cards held in a plastic slipcase with flower hairband. Deluxe edition of 40. 12.8 x 9 cm Published by Lightline Press, London. In Private Collections.
Liliane Lijn contributed First Words to the Volumes (of vulnerability) project, published by the Gefn Press in 2000. Curated by Susan Johanknecht and Katharine Meynell, the project is a portable “gallery” housed in an aluminium tin containing 23 artists’ books.
Artists include: Sophie Artemis, Caroline Bergvall, Penny Bernand & Stephen Williams, Stephen Bury, Helen Douglas, Cate Elwes, Joanna Hoffmann, Susan Johanknecht, Lilian Lijn, Lily Markiewicz, Katharine Meynell, Jim Mooney, Shariff Moossun/Alistair Skinner/Martin Ford/Ed Spencer, Hayley Newman, Colin Sackett, Gary Stevens, Ulrike Stoltz, David Thorne, Claire Van Vliet, Elaine Worth. London 2000, 160 copies.
ISBN-1-902596-12-9
Volumes (of Vulnerability) touring exhibitions: Standpoint Gallery, London; Buchgalerie Mergemeier, Germany; The Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax; Mills College, California; Muzeum Ksiazki Artystycznej Poland; Hull Time Based Arts; San Francisco Centre for the Book; Lopdell House Gallery, Aukland, N.Z.; The Nunnery, Bow Arts Trust.
What are the first words we say and could they have an influence on the rest of our lives?
Albert Einstein was 4. He was eating dinner and exclaimed suddenly ‘ Die Suppe ist zu heiss’ and his parents ‘ Oh Albert you can talk. Why have you never talked before?’ And he said ” Bis jetzt war alles in ordnung.”
Lijn was regaled with the apocryphal anecdotes of famous men’s first words but was unable to uncover even one anecdote relating to famous women until she began her own search for first words.
It is widely believed that most children begin their relationship with language by naming their parents but Lijn has found that many children will try to name anything that interests them. Bird, tree, plane, colour are a few words which she has already collected from mothers. She is equally interested in the sounds made before complete words are pronounced.
Lijn’s plan is to collect 2000 first words: a word for each year since the birth of Christ. The ‘children’ in question can be grownups now as long as their first word is either remembered or documented.
