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.