Artist
Paul Magee
http://www.p000m0000.com/
British artist. Makes machines, kinetic sculpture, computer and sound works.
Work title
Voice 2.0
sound installation, 2006-2007
click the thumbnail to enlarge the image
Technical specifications
“Apple computer, custom program, IO board, 44 speakers, 44 relays, lots of wire.”
Short description
Voice uses cryptanalysis techniques in an attempt to make sense. In the initial analysis phase it examines English texts and calculates the overall probabilty of each phonetic being spoken. It also analyses – for each phonetic – which of the other phonetics are more likely to precede and follow it. In the articulation phase it applies the overall probability table to bias a random generator and constructs a seed sentence. It speaks this sentence through a bank of 44 speakers. Each speaker being associated with one particular phonetic. Using the proximity probability tables, it then rearranges the phonetics in that sentence into more comfortable positions. It speaks the sentence again. It does this until it gets bored and then generates a completely new seed sentence. My thanks to Ania Babiek for her voice.