Simulacrummed Artifission
"Simulacrummed Artifission" is an interactive display where a number of computer-generated avatars stand still and silent in suspended animation, — until the visitor activates one or several of them (by tapping on them in the small version of the work, or by pulling on a string in the large version). As they activate, each Avatar speaks an automated AI translation of James Joyce's novel "Finnegans Wake" in one of 15 languages including Urdu, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Tagalog, German, Arabic, and Hebrew. As all AI translations are in sync to the original text in English, which can be read in subtitles, the result is an uncanny representation of largely nonsensical spoken words but expressed with the same rhythm and intonation.
It took James Joyce 17 years to write his complex masterpiece, which includes many neologisms and obscure references, resulting in a nearly untranslatable text. When asked how long it might take a person to read the book he said he wanted a reader to dedicate the rest of their life to begin to understand it. This project absurdly applies AI's capacity to feign swift authoritative results with aplomb and gravitas, while keeping the flow of language even in translation.
It took James Joyce 17 years to write his complex masterpiece, which includes many neologisms and obscure references, resulting in a nearly untranslatable text. When asked how long it might take a person to read the book he said he wanted a reader to dedicate the rest of their life to begin to understand it. This project absurdly applies AI's capacity to feign swift authoritative results with aplomb and gravitas, while keeping the flow of language even in translation.
General info
Year of creation:
2024
Credits
- Software: David Robert, Stephan Schulz
- Hardware: David Robert, Stephan Schulz
- Production assistance: Michel Zabitsky, Matthieu Vanier
Photo Library (click to expand)
2024 - Antimodular Studio, Montréal, Canada
