Douglas Gordon
Letter (number 13) Green “What have I done", 1994
Douglas Gordon
Letter (number 13) Green “What have I done", 1994
Certificate and wall text
Variable dimensions
What have I done is a phrase full of ambiguity, where one can fit the voice of a repentant lunatic or a nostalgic and resigned sigh. If Douglas Gordon had added a question mark or a punctuation at the end, then the text would read with a different intention. But the viewer must tolerate the suspense and accept that the open nature of this phrase lends itself to endless interpretations. Malleability is one of the characteristics of Gordon’s work, who edits Hollywood movies, scientific footage and literature classics. By reconfiguring what is familiar to us and giving it a twist, the artist provides a setting, but it is the public who must make its possibilities their own.