Yto BarradaMnemonic Phrases, 2019
Yto Barrada’ s broadside poster series, Mnemonic Phrases, is made up of 10 collected phrases, each referring to a different body of information to be remembered; for example, the first letter of each word in,“Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge,” easily recalls the sequence of musical notes, E-G-B-D-F, on the lines of the treble clef. This series, like other works of Barrada’s, engages with her extensive collection of found materials in order to celebrate various forms of self-directed learning. This series employs a subversive humor, as well as the concept of collage, in order to subtly navigate the space where dominant historical narratives intersect with the grammar of the home, the factory, the schoolhouse and the workshop. Mnemonic Phrases specifically refers to memory, and the attempt to remember through language.
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
The lines in the treble clef in music theory
E І G І B І D І F
Roman Men Invented Very Usual X-ray Guns
The electromagnetic spectrum
Radio waves І Microwaves І Infrared І Visible light Ultraviolet І X-Rays І Gamma rays
Never Eat Soggy Waffles
The cardinal directions
North І East І South І West
Dr.&Mrs.Vander-Tramp
Common verbs that use être as an auxiliary verb, as opposed to avoir
Devenir І Revenir І Monter І Rester І Sortir І Passer І Venir І Aller І Naître І Descendre І Entrer І Rentrer І Tomber І Retourner І Arriver І Mourir І Partir
Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain
The order of the colours of the rainbow
Red І Orange І Yellow І Green І Blue І Indigo І Violet
Napoleon Mange Allegrement Six Poulets Sans Claquer D’Argent
The 3rd period of the periodic table
Sodium І Magnesium І Aluminum І Silicon І Phosphorus І Sulfur І Chlorine І Argon
King Philip Cuts Open Five Green Snakes
The taxonomy of living and extinct organisms
Kingdom І Phylum І Class І Order І Family І Genus І Species
Colline a Deux Colonnes
The spelling of the words Colline (hill) and Colonne (column) in French
Colline І Colonne
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nougat
The planets of the solar system
Mercury І Venus І Earth І Mars І Jupiter І Saturn І Uranus І Neptune
Caterpillars Capture Every Elephant Made Perfect Thru Trade Unions
The nine muses
Calliope І Clio І Euterpe І Erato І Melpomene І Polyhymnia І Terpsichore І Thalia І Urania
