April 16, 2005
Global Pong
A Networked Babelogue Between Four Cities
Global Pong was a live dialogue on urbanism comparing local observations in New York City, Mexico City, Shanghai and Berlin, mediated through text fragments translated on-line into four languages. Texts were read live by a native speaker in its original language, cycled through four online translators projected as giant text banners, and then spoken again. Meanings shifted similar to a game of telephone ("teléfono descompuesto", "stille post"), and the four speakers added comments in their native language on each passing paragraph with keywords added into the translation cycle. Readers in this organic exchange of ideas included Vito Acconci, Andrés Oriard, Fu Xinian and Kai Vöckler.
Accompanying the texts were live video and sound components emanating from the four locations. Ralske created a visual interpretation/video collage from live webcam feeds. Composers in the four cities remotely contributed to a live ambient sound performance in which music files were passed along in an exquisite corpse style and "translated" similar to the textual work.
Posted by jo at April 16, 2005 10:51 AM
