Yeni Mao’s sculpture - fig 23.4 cypher - alludes to hidden meanings within the work, a code or hidden message that may be unpacked by the viewer. The sculpture itself has an unselfconscious fluidity that is reminiscent of an individual's handwriting or doodled glyphs, somewhat reinforcing the idea that it is designed to be “read”. It has a feeling of an improvised or adapted tool with its leather thongs, wrapped rope and rusted and reclaimed iron, or perhaps a crude architectural measuring device such as Antonio Gaudi may have used to draw parabolas based upon gravitational forces. As we bring our focus in there are more stories to be uncovered; the rusted, flaking and paint-flecked surface of the iron carries the marks and traces of its history. We can see this gradually being over-written or over-run by a crystalline superstructure, a new saline frost bejewelling the decrepit surface below. Where these aspects meet - the rust and the rock, past and future, revealed and concealed - is the nexus of uncertainty that is foundational to Mao’s artworks.