Shorthand Poetry

Esther Hovers' TalentWall shows a series of recent works that she started in January 2025 during a residency at AGA LAB in Amsterdam. At this graphic workshop, Hovers has focused on screen printing on textiles. The works are the beginning of a series of poems in shorthand.

This archaic shorthand method has fallen into disuse since the 1980s with the advent of computers. Shorthand, or steno, was used for its efficiency and for taking quick notes. The once modern writing has lost its function and is now slowly turning into a secret language.

The poems are a call to slow down and deal with themes such as tranquility and focus as an anti-capitalist tool. For this project Esther Hovers devoted herself to learning and practicing shorthand, but not in the way it was originally intended. The texts are slowly calligraphed in black ink before being screen printed.

Esther Hovers (Amsterdam, 1991) investigates how power, politics and control are expressed in the design of public space. She studied at KABK in The Hague and creates installations in which photography, drawings, text and film play an equal role. In her work she searches for a poetic approach to technological developments. Her work has been shown in (inter)national exhibitions and has been published in international newspapers and magazines. In 2017 Hovers was the winner of the Edward Steichen Award. She lives and works in The Hague. 

https://estherhovers.com