Different Today is a new LED work commissioned for the re-opening of Sheffield’s contemporary art space Site Gallery and installed on the exterior of the building. Both underscoring and questioning the idea and experience of constant change Etchells’ work – a categorical statement executed in a compelling combination of steel letters and LED bulbs – announces boldy that ‘Everything is Different Today’. Etchells work draws on his broader fascinations as an artist, writer and performance maker, exploring contradictory aspects of language and creating 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. As often in Etchells’ work, the missing information in Different Today, is as important as what’s said – the everything that is the subject of the phrase, and the difference and change attributed to it, are both left ambiguous and open to viewer interpretation.

Different Today (2018) is on display at Site Gallery Sheffield and can be seen at all times.