This is not a brief version is an exploration of our relationship with text today. Please see a demo of the installation below:
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/114467230
Nowadays, we are almost always on the go, and with no time to waste, we want the clear and concise version of everything. We need the easy and the accessible and we want it now on our phones or laptops or tablets, instantly.
Let’s face it, we live in a fast paced world and people keep developing apps and programs to make us go even faster (some apps even claim to increase your reading speed). This installation however, does the opposite. As lines of text move rapidly though the screen, only by moving closer to it and staying relatively still, will you be able to slow it down and read the text. My intention is to make us read beyond the surface of the words. Words are worth taking the time to understand, or else we risk missing something important.
I chose to use the text of the book titled “The Little Prince ” because it echoes everything that I am trying to accomplish with this installation. We must take our time with words as they are “the source of misunderstanding…words are fragile.” Not only that, but I also used this book for the simplicity and universal nature of its language. Though it was written many years ago, the book’s themes and concepts still apply today and are relatable. It is also a book for all ages, from children to adults, and I wanted my installation to reach the widest possible audience.
Furthermore, it is a work we are heavily familiar with in its printed form and thus by changing its nature to the screen, I wanted to adapt the work to how we usually read things today: online.
In terms of the actual installation, I envision placing the screen running through the text in the back wall of a dark rectangular corridor. The audience would not have any other choice but to walk forward and see as they get closer, how the words slow down through their presence. For next semester, I also would like to add an element of sound to the piece. At the beginning of the corridor, people might be able to hear vague, yet really fast whispers and as they go further in, closer to the text, the whispers would start slowing down, becoming clearer and clearer. Please see a preliminary sketch below:
CODE: http://pastebin.com/sFAACZi5
