Translation

trans·la·tion \tran(t)s-ˈlā-shən,
an act, process, or instance of rendering; a change of substance, form, or appearance, a transformation of coordinates, in which new axes are parallel to old ones, uniform motion of a body in a straight line, removal of relics to a new place, transfer of meaning, a carrying across and a casting off.

Translation. A word of impossibility. A word of substance. A world of its own. Translation is an endless attempt to understand others, a futile endeavor constantly rendering reality in a world over saturated by signs and information. Today, every branch of science demonstrates that the world is supported by the most minute entities, such as the messages of DNA, neurons, quarks, and neutrinos; all wandering through space since the beginning of time....Small particles of energy inhabiting and infiltrating our world and carrying "bits" of information- which travel along circuits in the form of impulses- all require translation, transference and translocation from one place to another. Networks of communication streams contain varying speeds and forms of conscious and unconscious citation, a continuous over crossing of preservation and loss of significance.

Translation is a process of negotiation as Umberto Eco would put it: something must be lost for something else to be gained, the basis of negotiation lies not within the meaning itself, rather, it is carried through multiple external factors. Everyday communication requires immediate translation; a subtle, innate and natural process of encoding and decoding, ciphering and deciphering.

There is a fear that translation will never convey true or complete understanding, as we each have our own unique library of meaning, laden with story, experiences, influence, fantasy, and agreement. This individual and collective noise disturbs the essentials of translation with impossibility of full comprehension. Thus, an inevitable gap is ever present in translation, which represents the density, complexity and multiplicity of the world, and, in essence, prove spoken reality and truth are defective - as much less is expressed than actually experienced.

Translation envelops more than sayings, quotes, texts and everyday communication - art- a contemporary language- transfers the particularities of a specific cultural identity, a social singularity, and a difference - it’s a code, a cipher - a guerilla resistance movement to the everyday. It comes from the side and around the back, a sneak attack, not the usual canal of clarity, as one must ensue meaning for oneself.

Piero Good, is a delicate coder and a curious cipher. He sees and experiences the beauty and wonder of just what is, with no need for direct translation. Through a site specific lens, he quietlyinspires a simple beginning to an unwritten language, not yet coded. Two videos shot in Marseille during his residency in 2016, demonstrate alternate forms of communication and unspoken messages, a Morse code of personal nature which is open sourced and available to all willing to engage and dance with a multiplicity of meanings.

It is me in an environment. I‘m observing and intervening:

-> the hilly and mountainous Calanques with it‘s typical circumstances - the sun and the wind - offered a perfect venue the go up to the summits and reflect the sun rays with a mirror and raise a flag. In this two videos called Höhenfeuer I am communicating, but not addressing anybody specific. I‘m transmitting coded messages and calling attention to myself and my strategic position.

-> I stepped out of Kulturfolger and saw the tower on the summit of Üetliberg, blinking for someones attention. From this moment on, I‘m seeing the tower constantly, and from everywhere - blinking or not. I realize that I circle around it. I realize that I move and it stands still. I realize that I‘m situated in a certain environment. l experience this very moment consciously by paying attention to the environment and by positioning myself in it: I am part of it.
It Stands Still and I Move are give-away postcards with a drawing of a view across Kulturfolger.

Deciphering, decoding and the constant search for meaningful communication is human and essential to making sense of the world, and comes with the acceptance and knowing that there is as many interpretations, truths, natures and realities as there are people, plants, animals and particles. No two the same. All uncommon.

w/Lisa Lee Benjamin

PUBLISHED IN: Kulturfolger