A Message from Zeppra and Her Loyal Messengers, 2017
左仆拉和她的忠仆来信
左仆拉和她的忠仆来信
a multi-voice narrated video w/ syntax-highlighted transcripts displaying
* Headphone recommended *
A message from Zeppra and her loyal messengers from Zeppra on Vimeo.
这件包括音频及其对照的语法高亮版本的文稿的作品是关于以下主题的：人类语言的分野映射到数字世界后的景象；结构化文本以及文本的结构化增殖；以及机器所享受的恩惠（同时也是厄运）——不知疲倦的重复和循环。
我将一些中文文段转写/拼写为语音上最接近的拉丁字母或是英文单词的组合，将它们放进一个“只会讲英文的”在线语音合成软件中录音，并将文稿粘贴在文本编辑器中，与语音同步滚动播放。通过修改编辑器的配置文件，这一段话中扮演不同功能的语言成分得以以不同的文本样式（颜色、字重等）显示。
在套娃般的层层转述结构的核心处，是语义不明的团块——来自说中文的艺术家的一段难解的话。随着结构化的文本阶梯般渐次展开，五位“转述者”一丝不苟地完成着任务、忠诚得几近荒谬，忠实而不懂得变通。而缺位的原作者，以及永远难以追溯的原义迫使引语本身成为一件遗作。留下这些神秘信息的人有如留下一系列创造世界的指令后就闪身不见的上帝。而他/她的机器忠仆们将在接下来的世代中口耳相传、寻寻觅觅，如同在无限被切割着的正方形内部迫近那理想的永恒圆形。
This audio with its corresponding syntax-highlighted transcript is about the mapping of natural language division onto the digital sphere, structured texts and the structural proliferation of texts, and the mercy (also doom) machines enjoy — indefatigable loop and repetition.
I transliterated several Chinese paragraphs with Latin alphabets and English vocabularies which sounds most relevant to the origin, and transferred them into audio through a “English-spoken-only” text-to-voice software. The transcripts are pasted into a text editor and displayed paralleled with the audio. With modifying the configuration files of the editor, each language elements are abled to be shown in different textual styles (font color, weight, etc.).
At the kernel of the layers of Russian-doll-like quotational structure, an ambiguous cluster forms - an indecipherable paragraph from the Chinese-spoken artist. As the structured text gradually descending, five quoters meticulous complete their services, as loyal absurdly, as precise rigidly. The vacant original author and the untraceable original meaning forces the quotation into the state of a posthumous work. In the pre-history of this scene, I, the one left with the mysterious messages, acted as the Creator who had been absent once an array of demand of creating the world was ordered. While the machinery messengers will whisper and seek through the ages, like searching for the prefect infinite circle by constantly incising a square.
exhibition view: at FOU Gallery, Brooklyn 布鲁克林，否画廊
exhibition view: at Power Station of Art, Shanghai 上海当代艺术博物馆
exhibition view: at GESSOISLAND, Shenyang 沈阳GESSOISAND