Listening Post

Ben Rubin

Listening Post ,
Co-workers & Funding
Image courtesy of The Science Museum
Documents
  • listening post decode
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Description
Listening Post is situated in the permanent collections of the Science Museum, South Kensington, London, and is on site loan to the Decode exhibition. It can be viewed on the first floor of the Science Museum.

Listening Post has been presented to the Science Museum by The Art Fund.
Keywords
  • aesthetics
    • installation-based
  • genres
    • database art
    • installations
      • interactive installations
  • subjects
    • Art and Science
      • databases
    • Technology and Innovation
      • ambient intelligence
  • technology
    • displays
      • electronic displays
        • projectors
Technology & Material
Installation Requirements / Space
Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin's Listening Post immerses us in a rhythm of computer-synthesised voices reading, or singing out, a fluid play of real-time text fragments. The fragments are sampled from thousands of live, unrestricted internet chatrooms, bulletin boards and other online public forums. They are uncensored and unedited. Stray thoughts resonate through the space in sound and voice as texts surge, flicker, appear and disappear, at varying sizes and speeds, across a suspended grid of over 200 small electronic screens. An ambient soundtrack accompanies the activity with isolated pulses reminiscent of computer modems, clatterings, footsteps and the beeping of mechanical answering machines. At intervals darkness and silence take over, creating momentary pauses before Listening Post continues with its next movement.
Exhibitions & Events
Bibliography