Software tools process a vast amount of data to give clear, direct answers and help us solve problems. We seamlessly integrate them into our lives as part of our daily routine and use them as tools. Utilizing this tool is inevitable when collecting and learning information in the modern era; the screens we turn to in order to expand our experience always exist in our environment. I search for the information I need to adapt to changing surroundings, and can access it almost instantly through automatic transfer online streaming software.
How do I acquire most of my information these days? And what processes do I engage in to expand on my own experiences? Software that can translate is the tool I prefer to use. Information reaches me in a variety of forms, conveyed by translators who render video, voice, and sound. However, they not only translate but also interpret in their own way.
How do software systems interpret my feelings and thoughts? How do translators objectively analyze and transform extremely personal and subjective narratives? With these questions in mind, I decided to collaborate with the translator to make a video piece. As well as being its creators, the translator and myself became the subjects of the video - I expanded on my experiences in a diary format, which then became raw material passed between this work's two cooperators.
My process began with a single composition, just like a short story becomes a full-length novel over time. I started shooting short pieces and focusing on expressing personal information. It could have been a description of a perspective, a daily note, or a combination of thoughtless words (‘stream’ of consciousness) - all of which created the overlaid narration.
Video 1:
is filled with personal information and then edited into a single short piece with pre-made Korean subtitles.
Video 2:
is streamed also online during the whole exhibition period, with computer generated subtitles automatically translating what is being said.
In this way, we can see whether the interpretation in Video 2 is similar to its original intention. However, the translator may invoke new interpretations through errors in sound recognition, as well as language limitations. During the exhibition period, these new interpretations and errors are continuously used as materials to create Video 1, and Video 1 becomes a full-length novel video through collaboration. Therefore the subjective captions from the translator become another piece of information in Video 1.
This process is repeated throughout the entire exhibition, and the initial orientation of the video is created in the form of disorientation.
*Video 1 is on a monitor, facing the inside of the room - therefore, only those who enter the gallery space can watch it. Video 2 is installed in the gallery window, facing the outside world like the products in a shop front. Therefore, audiences have to watch this video by standing outside of the gallery. It is also exposed to people passing by.