Work

Title

Vanishing Rouge

Author

Lisa Spalt

Date

2016

Description

For the text of „Vanishing Rouge“, the author initially searched the internet for a first sentence on the subject of ”Schreibmaschine / Typewriter“. The sentence was recorded using the typewriter. Then she chose a catchword from this first sentence, which she once again inserted into the search engine, thus finding a next sentence, etc.

Statement

If anyone wants to send a written message, there must be a knowledge base beyond the inscribed surface which can be accessed by them. The typewriter itself ‘knows’ nothing, whereas the computer ‘knows’ a lot about / via the Internet. By linking both devices, the knowledge from the Internet seems multi-dimensionally organized and far too comprehensive to be managed mechanically. In earlier times, it was possible to fix something by writing, to linearize the world and to simulate straightforwardness in texts; this is perhaps part of the machine’s charm actualized here one last time but tending to fade away in the face of net-typical text. ‘Surfing’ is a similar process. We actualize data but only temporarily give it blood. This is also true for the value of what is written afterwards. Typewriter and Internet – two forms of vanitas: Vanishing Rouge.

Medium

Paper Sheet

Technology

Typewriter, Search Engine

Keywords

authorship, knowledge, online, process, progress, reading, writing

Added

ID

1427