Will Schrimshaw (UK)
illustration by Rob Pybus
Charles Babbage wrote in The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise “What a strange chaos is this wide atmosphere we breathe! Every atom retains at once the motions which philosophers have imparted to it, mixed and combined in ten thousand ways with all that is worthless and base. The air itself is one vast library, on whose pages are forever written all that man has ever said or woman whispered.” Turning an ear to the atmosphere, this installation traces imperceptible lines and patiently decodes this vast archival substrate upon which every utterance is impressed. Obscure and confused signals are rendered sensible in the form of speech and broadcast for the pleasure of the passing pedestrian.
[lang_nl]Charles Babbage beschreef in The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise de vreemde chaos die ons omringt. Met een oor op de uitgestrekte omgeving achterhaalt deze installatie onmerkbare lijnen in de enorme bibliotheek lucht. Onzichtbare en onbestemde signalen krijgen vorm in gepraat dat voor het genot van de passerende voetganger weerklinkt.[/lang_nl]
[lang_fr]Dans The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise, Charles Babbage décrit l’étrange chaos qui nous entoure. À l’écoute d’un paysage étendu, cette installation recherche les lignes invisibles dans l’énorme bibliothèque qu’est l’air. Des signaux invisibles et sans but prennent forme dans le bavardage qui résonne pour le plus grand plaisir des passants.[/lang_fr]
appearance at Tuned City 28–30. June 2013