Bindi Vora’s ongoing series Mountain of Salt comprised of found images, appropriated text and digital shape collages, were born as a response to our current narrative surrounding our everyday ‘normal’. Since Covid-19 unfolded in the UK and across the world, the artist became acutely aware of the amplified landscape in which we are living, in which we cling to the news for updates, statistics and curves; analysing the myriad forms of information in our own way. For Vora, this new normal highlighted the way in which language, words and speech have a physical presence, a bearing upon us and carry weight.  

In these text based collages Vora focuses on the provocative language and began to collect words and sentences derived from politicians, journalists and individuals who were sharing their commentary or thoughts, at first related to the pandemic, but it soon expanded. 

The work has continued to evolve and it now encompasses issues well beyond the virus – conversations around oppression, racism and witnessing trauma but also to the more light hearted, comical moments in these times where we take solace. This curious collection of phrases speaks to the dissemination of language and its affect upon us.