The Semantic Differential
John Fairclough
April 18 - April 27 1998
John Fairclough's Semantic Differential is a complex exploration
of our conceptions of language, intelligence, and order. Fairclough's
interactive computer programme probes the potential of new computer
technologies, and the role they might play in developing new forms
of intelligence.
The computer and monitors that constitute this work sit in a darkened
corner of the gallery, a dull lamp illuminating the keyboard. A
message on one of the two glowing screens prompts the viewer to
input the name of a 'person, organization or institution'. When
you respond to the message the computer informs you that it is searching
'The Codex Interlingua' for the term you have entered.
Who or what is The Codex Interlingua? Fairclough intentionally
neglects to tell us, hinting instead that his fictitious data suppository
is some sort of recognized authority on life, the universe, and
everything. Enter "the universe" at the keyboard and the computer
emits an electronic burp before an abstract arrangement of geometric
shapes appears on screen. Press "p" and you can print out a copy
of "the universe" to take home with you. In a chaotic age, The
Codex Interlingua satisfies that seductive desire for order
- no matter how many times you enter a phrase or word into the computer
it will always give you an identical image back in return.
Yet a short time spent with the work undermines the initial sense
of security this predictability offers. We soon discover that the
structures ordinarily governing our use of language no longer make
any sense here. This artmaking machine denies us the ability to
influence its creative process, instead imposing it's own predetermined
and foreign sense of order.
Playing on the paranoid fear of technology that informs many recent
films and television programmes, Fairclough's 'analytical machine'
suggests the presence of a malevolent intelligence behind the screen.
Are our entries really just triggering simple sound/image responses
for our entertainment, or are they actually being tracked and indexed
by The Codex Interlingua, feeding information back into the system
for unknown purposes?
The Semantic Differential conjures up science fiction scenarios
of mankind's domination by machines of our own making. Remember
Hal from 2001, or Mother from Alien? Or how about
Proteus, the computerized house in the film Demonseed, which
developed self-awareness and the will to reproduce...with humans!
A little far fetched perhaps, but still a potent literalisation
of Fairclough's potentially virulent creation.
In The Semantic Differential our ideas about truth go head
to head with chaos, highlighting the inevitability of chance and
randomness, and the inherent limitations of any attempt to harness
and categorize information.
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