Object meaning can manifest as object power. Historical, cherished, sacred, rare, or very fine objects can inspire in the beholder, a sense of awe, of having a place in time, of a future, and immortality. Marketers and those who persuade through images and ceremonies mimic aesthetic attributes of these types of objects and manners of their presentation to generate more appeal for ordinary objects. Fakes and forgeries are intersections of the ordinary and extraordinary, presented as the latter using signs to create the illusion that they are more valuable than they are, and can call into question the value of the original.

Belonging to a culture means understanding its complex and innumerable signs. These signs manifest as artifacts, gestures, and processes. They may be particular to the person, or to the community. In either case, these signs are imbued with meanings individually and collectively and form the basis of identity, individually and communally. Some objects can seem to convey an essence to the beholder, if they are fluent in the sign language. The genuine, desire, the social and economic system of real and perceived value, the quest for immortality, and imagining futures and pasts via objects inspire my work. I investigate our imperceptible use of signs to speak to ourselves and each other and l examine underlying sources of their meanings and powers.