Word processing

1995. Video 6 min 23 sec

Image courtesy of the artist

In the video Word Processing Alan Currall offers us an image of a microchip placed on a desk with a furtive tapping finger and his own off-screen voice attempting to train it. The voice is initially calm, pedantic and meticulous in its instructions on what the chip should do id he presses a key. The lesson becomes more and more complete as the tone of the voice becomes more desperate in referencing our anxiety about computer usage and the problems we encounter with it. This anthropomorphic piece places the familiar discrepancy in the everyday relationships between machine and human into humourous and acute focus.

ALAN CURRALL