In the simple repetition and reversal of two words, each iteration forming a more or less idiomatic phrase, Doing Nothing makes a punning shift in our understanding of what’s being described. It’s clear that nothing much is happening – but in the shift from general description of a state of affairs (nothing doing), to the specific inaction of an imagined subject or subjects (doing nothing) the ‘nothing’ in question is inflected differently, taking on different qualities. The nothing shifts from active to passive and back again, the two versions of the phrase effectively forming a loop or trap in language.

About Tim Etchells’ neon and LED works
Etchells’ neon and LED pieces often draw on his broader fascinations as an artist, writer and performance maker, exploring contradictory aspects of language – the speed, clarity and vividness with which it communicates narrative, image and ideas, and at the same time its amazing propensity to create a rich field of uncertainty and ambiguity.

Through simple phrases spelt out in neon, LED and other media, Etchells strives to create miniature narratives, moments of confusion, awkwardness, reflection and intimacy in public and gallery settings. Encountering the neon sign works, in the streets of a city or in the space of a white cube gallery, the viewer becomes implicated in a situation that’s not fully revealed, or a linguistic formulation that generates confusion or ambiguity. As often in Etchells’ work, in the neons the missing parts of the picture are as important as the elements that are present. Invoking a story, or projecting an idea out-of-context, the work invites us in, but into what exactly we can’t be sure.