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Impersonator
2002
This is
an interactive computer piece that invents and writes a new line of
text and displays it on a mechanical "flip-disk" sign (like ones in
train stations) every time someone enters the building through the main
doorway, activated by a contact in the door. The computer that runs
the sign contains a text-generating program with grammar rules and a
lexicon programmed by the artist.
The programming strategy was to use
a large number of syntactical structures as templates, and, for each
sentence, choose from them randomly and then choose every word in the
template randomly from a large lexicon. This provides sentences that
are coherent, often funny, and never the same. Every sentence is a new
one, written by the computer.
Public art for the Instructional Technology Center, Santa Fe Community
College Commissioned by New Mexico Arts.
10" x 9.5' x 10"
steel, electronics, language generating program written by Janet Zweig
using software developed by Jonathan Meyer.
Here are some of the sentences it wrote
during its first few days:
YOU WILL AESTHETICALLY EMBRACE THIS PAGAN
ODDITY.
WAS OUR SLEEP NOURISHED BY DELUSION OR
DESPAIR?
CASH TURNS AROUND BECAUSE THEY HAVE ABANDONED
WORDS.
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE SUPERMARKET OF
TOLERANCE.
THING THREATENS GIRLFRIEND. A NARRATIVE
OF PRIDE.
WHAT IF FORENSIC EXPERTS WERE TO RISK
EVERYTHING?
HYSTERIA, HONEY, IS SO GENUINELY TRANSPARENT.
IT'S PERKY, THIS DIPSTICK, YES OR NO?
I REFUSE TO BE ALIVE IN SPITE OF YOUR
PATIENCE.
ARE WE ALL THINKING OF SELF-DESTRUCTIVE
NYMPHS?
VIABLE WITNESSES APPEARED IN THE STARS.
YEAH.
WE COULD CLAIM THE EDIBLE CHARITY IN THIS
PLACE.
WHAT FORMS THE CORPORATE? SCANDALOUS CAUSES.
RELIGION CHANGES BECAUSE WE WANT ABRASIVE
TOPICS.
FABULOUS POETS WILL SLEEP WITH YOU IN
THE FACTORIES.
IT'S LIKE A FETISH DETONATED BY A TOPLESS
COMMENTATOR.
THERE MIGHT BE A TRUE-BLUE ALGORITHM AHEAD
OF YOU.
WELCOME ABOARD THE TRANSIENT VIRUS OF
MARRIAGE.
SOON, COLLIES WILL WALK ARM IN ARM WITH
SCIENTISTS.
FILL IT UP ON THE MAGNETIC BYWAYS.
THIS SIGN IS CONCERNED WITH POVERTY IN
OUR COUNTRY.
THANK YOU FOR NOT COOPERATING.
MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD THE RESERVOIR OF ERROR.
ASK ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT GERTRUDE STEIN.
UNDER THE DUNES, THE LUDDITE AND HIS NUT
WERE HIDDEN.
PLEASE GIVE NORBERT WEINER SOME NAUGHTY
SCHNAUZERS.
WHAT IF THOSE ARTY TYPES WERE TO FALL
IN LOVE?
I'M IN HERE. I'M ALIVE. TRUST ME.
SHE PONDERED SOMEONE ELSE'S CONSTRUCTS.
SHE'S ABHORENT.
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