Spy Decoder Ring recalls the plastic decoder rings that once came in cereal boxes. Here the artist plays with the notion of espionage as a romantic childhood fantasy. If the author and the recipient of the encoded message have the same cipher, or code, each may translate the written text into understandable phrases. The four figures on the ring function as handles to move the alphabet around, but, dressed in business clothes, they also call to mind the spies who blend in with ordinary citizens.
“The myriad connotations of words allow messages to be misconstrued—often, as in puns, with humorous results.” Artist quoted in Touch of a Finger; Turn of a Phrase: Ring Toys of Barbara Walter
- Title
-
Spy Decoder Ring
- Artist
- Date
- 1995
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 1 5⁄8 x 1 1⁄4 x 5⁄8 in. (4.1 x 3.2 x 1.6 cm)
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Sylvia and Eric Elsesser
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- sterling silver with plastic
- Classifications
- Keywords
-
- Occupation – crime – spy
- Figure group
- Dress – accessory – hat
- Object Number
-
2002.72.4A-E
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
