symbles

This is a very unusual collaboration of images. The semantics within the circles are initially ambiguous. Whilst the outlines have clear representations – humans, speech marks, chairs, urinating and an anchor for example – they simply don’t make sense as single symbols or signs.

It could possibly be a short narrative of the day of an office worker – split-second images that contributed to an individual’s working day – this is a white-collar worker under pressure who’s woken up hungover, and is startled by his loud smoke alarm alerting his fight or flight senses. The next caption shows other tenants within his building grouping on the stairs and following the fire procedure. He uses the fire escape and rejoices that he is unaffected by the blaze. After a letter regarding the building’s safety he goes to the toilet. The next two symbols indicate that he has post-traumatic stress as he is slightly disorientated and the red symbol indicates a brief examination from an occupational health nurse where his ability to function properly and not take time off work is considered. He questions himself on his ability as he’s rather shaky with additional apprehension with his scheduled meeting with his boss.

The white speech mark represents the briefing from his boss and the clear speech marks that follow show the individual relaying the information to workers underneath him in the hierarchy of the company.

The minimum wage workers peruse the new direction of the company, whilst our middle-management individual privately stresses over the briefing, leaving him exhausted. He goes to the pub and gets intoxicated. He then vomits in the green oval loo seats and awakes hungover with the knowledge that there is no chance of promotion for him within this company and the anchor represents his lack of mobility.

Or something like that!