Meanders I- Study of neon composition indicating different phases of tube illumination to be controlled by a timer

In 1954, Chryssa relocated to San Francisco for a brief period, where she studied at the California School of Fine Arts, eventually making her way to New York City. There she became fascinated by symbols and was attracted to everything related to communication, language and writing: from simple letters in newspapers, to names on building entrances, to metal signs outdoors and later to neon billboards. In the early 1960s, she began her compositions using letters, isolating individual words from a group of words and then single letters or groups of letters, transforming them into thematic plastic shapes. She exclusively used letters from the Latin alphabet. She started working on her first "neon boxes," creating compositions with delicate neon tubes, and "analysing" letters in different ways. In the section "Maeanders," Chrysa constantly experiments with colours, aiming to achieve a balance and harmony between them, as well as intensity in their brightness using various types of neon tubes. The sculptures are enclosed in plexiglass boxes, for which she selects a deep grey colour, and they are placed on pedestals painted with the same grey or black colour, incorporating the technological equipment (dimmer switches, transformers), as Chrysa wants this equipment to be visible. The boxes constitute a functional and integral part of the sculptures: on the one hand, they protect the delicate neon tubes, and on the other, they create a nocturnal atmosphere, emphasizing the dramatic contrast between light and darkness. To enhance this contrast, Chrysa places a timer inside the pedestal and adjusts it to intermittently interrupt the continuous flow of light, creating moments of darkness. At times, she interrupts the flow in one part of the composition while the rest remains illuminated. To adjust the timing of the timer, she records some audio tapes, which she calls " drawings" In these recordings, she uses the alphabet or a single letter, changing the duration of measurement between the letters each time. For Chrysa, however, it's not just about the concept of time, rhythm, or the measurement of language; it's also about the idea of breathing and her belief that her sculptures can exist autonomously, without technology.