The World of Blocks (2014)
Stereo Sound, 4:30min
In The World of Blocks voice actors are performing the script of SHRDLU, a program for understanding natural language, created by Terry Winograd at MIT in 1968-70. Originally, the demonstration was displayed on a computer screen, with written commands. This sound piece is changing the context and nature of this event, by taking it out of the screen and turning it into human language communication. The dialogue activates relations of power between knowledge and non-knowledge. Even though SHRDLU was considered a major breakthrough at the time, it could never be applied to real life situations. Nevertheless that moment in the history of A.I. marked a moment of hope in the possibility of creating machines that would be able to replicate human mental achievements.
Installation View. Without God or Governance (2018), Marinaro Gallery, New York
