https://circumlocution-chamber.glitch.me/
2023
The Circumlocution Machine is a web-based project that automatically replaces all the nouns in user-input content with the dictionary definitions of the nouns then uttering it back out. It uses a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to analyze a user’s input sentence, then “translates” it to redundant nonsense, creating a convoluted and nonsensical version that satirizes the use of evasive language. The project features a synthetic voice reading out the output, further emphasizing the absurdity of evasive language. Astutely capturing the elusive art of veiled communication, The Circumlocution Machine deftly exposes the linguistic strategies employed by politicians and authority figures to evade addressing the core subject matter, while shedding light on the imperative for sincerity within public discourse.
Tansy Xiao
China / United States
Tansy Xiao is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York. Her work explores the immense power and inherent inadequacy of language through the assemblage of stochastic audio and recontextualized objects. She finds solace in the unknown, ludicrousness in the authorities, and absurdity in the geopolitical demarcations that separate and differentiate people. Xiao is currently an artist in residence at Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center.