The Language Cloud, on view 24/7 in the entry vestibule.
The Language Cloud
I created the Language Cloud for my second year presenting at ‘GLOW’ - the Exploratorium’s winter season festival of light. The Language Cloud is a cluster of white neon block lettering, gathered from all manner of defunct businesses around the city. The letters themselves tell a story of boom and bust; once mighty brick and mortar names are represented alongside obscure startups. The intent of the Language Cloud is to reveal the pattern finding instincts of the human brain: when presented with a jumbled sentence, well, Yuo cna porbalby raed tihs esaliy desptie teh msispeillgns.
I wondered, what would happen if this concept was brought into three dimensions? As a seer, looking at the sculpture from different angles, would our brains assign meaning to backwards letters? How ‘close’ to a traditional word structure did the letters need to be, for us to start creating patterns? Would the Cloud reveal different words to different people? How much would the viewing experience be shared, or individualized?
WIP. I built the Language Cloud in my studio in order to create a labeling system and map for reassembly, before packing and transport to the final install site.