December 19, 2004
Disembodied Voices
![dv1_clip[2].gif](http://www.turbulence.org/blog/images/dv1_clip[2].gif)
Irritating mobile phone conversations
"Disembodied Voices", by Santa Monica-based artist Jody Zellen, leads the viewer through a series of experiences exploring the global phenomenon of cell-phone conversations, those half public, disembodied conversations have become a ubiquitous irritant in our society.
Five dynamic animations fill the walls. Four of these animations are DVD projections that depict individuals moving through public spaces, unaware of their surroundings because they are intent on their cell-phone conversation. At the bottom of each projection are fragments of text that represent the monologue. The texts intersect physically as the viewer reads across them. The fifth projection is connected to a computer and contains the interactive component of the installation. Visitors to the space trigger a series of sounds by interacting with 'toy' cell-phones that hang from the ceiling. All the buttons on the phones are programmed to trigger an event on the wall. Using the 'toy' phones causes the icons on the wall to grow from their diminutive silent state to a larger brighter version with sound. The voices reflect the global nature of cell phone usage as the conversations take place in numerous languages: French, Spanish, Japanese, Indonesian, Cantonese, as well as English. When all ten phones are active the experience is a sound collage, a cacophony of overlapping icons and voices. (via rhizome) (Posted by Régine Debatty)
Posted by Regine at December 19, 2004 02:34 AM
