Transcribing Brouhaha

2005 | Printed Drawing | Variable Dimensions

A text based series manifesting as archival prints of one side of a local newspaper (approx 38cm X 58cm each) Transcribing Brouhaha is an ongoing series of text based, site specific works which manifest as “articles” in the local newspaper. Ideally local newspapers agree to have these articles appear in the real paper – but as of yet no paper has cooperated.

stutt_detail

Transcribing Brouhaha: Stuttgart, Detail

With Transcribing Brouhaha, a phonetic snapshot of the city is created, by manually transcribing all linguistic sounds while walking through pedestrian thoroughfares. The language-based notes are then translated into the English phonetic alphabet, and later hand drawn in the layout style of the newspaper into which it will be inserted. At a glance, the article blends in with the others, but on closer inspection readers will recognize unconventional characters, as well as the small imperfections of manually written text. By including this work within a local news context, the phonetic noise of the everyday becomes part of the daily portrait of the city – the conversations of the city’s inhabitants are woven into a momentary phonetic score of the city’s public spaces.

Areas and cities include: Stuttgart, Berlin (Kudamm), Berlin (Kottbussor Tor), Edmonton (CA) (Downtown)

zeitung_01_stuttgart

Transcribing Brouhaha: Stuttgart, full

kudamm_detail

Transcribing Brouhaha: Berlin, Kudamm, Detail

zeitung_02_berlin

Transcribing Brouhaha: Berlin, Kudamm, Full