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Sprache Sehen
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Computer-controlled interactive light installation
Polytechnic school Bregenz (AT), extension Baumschlager/Eberle, competition, realization 1996–8
[English title, 'Seeing Language']

In each of the three staircases of the new building of the HTL [polytechnic school] Bregenz, a light stick with red LEDs is installed in each of the four floors. From a word catalogue with 600 terms, 3 programmed "phrase machines", each assigned to a staircase, receive grammatically correct combinations of four words per day through random generation. The word catalogue contains keywords that exemplify the topic of fragmentation and re-composition of reality. It is created analogously to a language canon.
The 12 sticks generate a text that becomes perceptible to the observer only when she/he is in motion. The inertia of the retina is responsible for the sequences of words that seem to appear in the surrunding space – a meaningless "sign" suddenly becomes "language".
Using a computer terminal installed in the library, students can rewrite the text of one of the light sticks. Over time these "electronic graffitis" change the original text.