Titles are important.
And, as with the rest of my work, I find that I have rules that govern how I choose them.
I am trying to come up with a title for the project I am working on. This title will be used for my Arts Council application, will probably be the exhibition/event title and may also be the title of a published product… words and/or sounds.
I would be interested to hear how other people choose their titles and whether other people agonise over it like I seem to do.
I want the title to refer to the way I work, or my thought patterns or an underlying theme.
I don’t like puns
I am trying to avoid the sort of title that I am sure will abound in the post-covid world… (restart, stepping out, branching out etc.)
I absolutely hate those titles that have unnecessary and confusing characters inserted for example [Re:Bōund//] they make me very cross indeed.
I quite like pairs of words “Nine Women”, “Cause and Effect” or single words, short and snappy, not long sentences.
For me, a title of an exhibition, a piece of work, an album… has to hint at what it is, but not be too explicit. A little ambiguity is good, as it leaves room for the viewer or listener to bring some of themselves to it. They look at it in the light of their own experiences.
In other words I make things far too difficult for myself.
I have a list of words on a big piece of paper that skirt about what I’m looking for, but not quite there yet. I shall get out the thesaurus and add some more, then start crossing things out. I’ll get there. Watch this space…
