Entre manos (from hand to hand): cipher, knot, nebula

The site-specific commission by artist Charles Juhász-Alvarado was part of the main exhibition of the 30th Biennial of Graphic Arts, Interruption. Juhász-Alvarado addressed passers-by on the Jakopič Promenade with 118 photographs on billboards. Flanking the benches, the images mirrored or rhymed to act as a choir. Working with Karen Albors, whose parents are both hearing-impaired, he created a visual sequence that unfolded as viewers walked up or down the esplanade. The artist’s sister, Emeshe Juhász-Mininberg, a writer and translator (working in Spanish and English), collaborated on the ‘lyrics’ related to each image that built the ‘song’. These alluded to the images but also wove a cadence to accompany viewers on the path. The Slovenian version and design by Mina Fina were yet another partnership, emphasising the counterpoint of languages while foregrounding translation, chance and exchange. The project depended on universal commonalities to elicit emotional understanding.