‘Sloganeering 1-4’ formed part of Isabel Nolan’s installation ‘Once Upon a Time’ and ‘How Things Turn Out’ at IMMA in 2002. Like her other work it explores notions of reality and identity often in a humorous manner. In ‘Sloganeering 1-4’, the power of the written word to impose a reality as tangible as so-called ‘real life’ is explored. The artist states that she wanted to “create a character who is trying, somewhat desperately to communicate a sense of their identity (someone who is obviously frustrated, confused and inconsistent, but is nevertheless attempting to be sincere). In one sense, it is about the idea that identity is complex and irreducible to clichés; it also reflects the fact that we live in a culture where communication is often reduced to sound bites that are often both pretentious and vacuous”*.

This concept is expressed through the use of a white T-shirt on which the artist repeatedly scribbles slogans, which are in turn underlined, added to and ultimately cast away as she takes off the shirt to start writing on a fresh one worn underneath. The speeded-up film adds an element of slapstick comedy to the piece.

*Statement from the artist, 2003, IMMA