Down Under and out of town

Down Under and out of town (1993). Vacation notice. Lettering cut out of rubylith. Inspired by work in Love and Joy about Letters by Ben Shahn (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1963). The card was folded to reveal only “Down / and out” when first opened. The phrase, a nod to George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), was meant to suggest the financial toll of a long trip. Once fully opened—there is a third panel not shown here—the card revealed that the trip was to Australia and New Zealand for “summer vacation in January”. Thus, I was “Down Under” and “out of town”.