This work is suspended on a sheet of glass within the frame which has no backboard. Therefore the wall behind becomes a visible part of the artwork.

Changing Ideas Award
This work presents a single word—listen—accompanied by three red droplets suspended between two sheets of glass. The word originates from The Light is Winning, a poem written in response to grief following the death of a parent.
"Listen" operates as both directive and invitation. It carries a duality: capable of sounding abrupt or confrontational, yet also conveying quietness, care, and attentiveness. Positioned between two panes of glass, the word occupies a space suggesting multiple perceptions of reality—inviting viewers to consider what it means to truly hear one another across emotional, social, and ideological divides.
The work engages with contemporary social tensions, including fractured identities and global conflict, where communication is often dominated by assertion rather than understanding. While the call to “listen” can be raised as a demand—sometimes with force—it also holds potential to open dialogue when approached with intention and humility.
At its core, the piece proposes active listening as a vital yet often overlooked act. To listen is not passive; it is a conscious, empathetic engagement enabling sharing of concerns, resolution of conflict, and building of mutual understanding. In its simplicity, listening becomes a powerful tool—one that can support connection, restore balance, and contribute to mental and emotional well-being.
THE LIGHT IS WINNING

Listen to the darkness
The glassed-in wisdom
Sleeping at the water’s edge

A papercut of crimson
Sharpens into light
Where the reed dips silent
To a pebbled magnificence

The resting sound lies
Bound in a symphony of lace
Skin sheathed and double scored
Below the thick-gloved finger
That wears the signet

Distant echoes now absorbed
Through waiting flesh
Blood sinks into stone

And on
The typeface of the clock
Life and death intersect
The familiar measure
The numbered spiral

You were right
The light is winning