Douglas Gordon | List of Names

Douglas Gordon

List of Names

London, UK: Ax, 1992

31 x 22 x 6 cm. 

Edition of 100 signed and numbered copies

Initially displayed as a list of names, appearing in columns as if it were a war memorial, List of Names consists of the names of everyone the artist can recall meeting in his life. An autobiography by association, shaped by the limits of memory. 

"It was an accurate and honest statement but it was full of mistakes (like forgetting the names of some friends),” Gordon said, later, "so there were some embarrassing elements in the work, but that all seemed to be quite close to the truth of how our head functions anyway. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t."

"The first list of names was compiled in August 1990. The list consisted of 1440 names typeset

in Frutiger 66. The list was installed on a wall for the exhibition Self Conscious State at the Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, November 1990.

The second list of names was compiled in August, 1991. The list consisted of 1705 names, typeset in American Typewriter. The list was presented in edition form, printed and wrapped for the exhibition Walk On at the Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, September 1991.”

- Douglas Gordon, colophon page