words

Projection Installation Proposal

A mock up of proposed projection installation.

The project is based around pairs of words with opposite meanings such as "life" and "death". A thesaurus was used to build a chain of words where each word is a synonym for the previous word. A slight shift of meaning occurs each time until eventually the original meaning is completely reversed i.e. "life" becomes "death". The process is continued until the original word is reached again and a loop is formed.

The original project was titled "Thesaurus Generated Word Loops" and was originally an artist's book. A selection of the loops were featured as a project in Circa Magazine in 2006. I have revisited this project recently with a view to redevelop it as an projection piece.

This has involved nesting the original loops inside each other to form a single animated graphic. The individual loops rotate so that each word moves at the same speed. However, as the circles have different diameters this necessitates a different RPM for each of the loops. The result of this is that the relative positions of the words shift as the loops rotate. The artwork is to be projected onto the floor of gallery space with a minimum diameter of 5meters. This will enable the viewer to stand in the empty space at the centre of the work.

Thesaurus Word Loops Booklet

This is a new version of a booklet first produced in 2006. The booklet has been redesigned and some changes made to the content.

Each of these word loops takes a pair of words with opposite meanings as its starting point. A thesaurus was used to find a synonym for one of these words and then to find a synonym for that synonym and so on. Each new word suggested by thesaurus involves a slight slippage of meaning. These slippages accumulate resulting in a complete inversion of the original meaning. This process is repeated using the second word from the pair until the loop has been completed.

If you would like to receive a complimentary copy please send me your address: niall(at)nialldebuitlear.com

No Manifesto - Yvonne Rainer

NO to spectacle.No to virtuosity. No to transformations and magic and make-believe. No to the glamour and transcendency of the star image. No to the heroic. No to the anti-heroic. No to trash imagery. No to involvement of performer or spectator. No to style. No to camp. No to seduction of spectator by the wiles of the performer. No to eccentricity. No to moving or being moved.

Yvonne Rainer, No Manifest, 1965