George Akl
13 Whispers
13 Whispers HD Video, 4:36 Min Contact to view full video.
13 Whispers is a playful and experimental public art video that explores the relationship between language, memory, and social categories. Through the use of the Telephone game (colloquially known as Chinese Whispers in Australia), participants consecutively repeat a phrase that is related to the isolating effect of categorization in cultural contexts.
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As the phrase is whispered from one participant to another, it changes, revealing the fragility and mutability of language.
The changes in the phrase demonstrate the dangers of miscommunication and the manipulation of language and narratives, offering a powerful critique of the way in which language is used to maintain power and perpetuate social inequality in modern societies.
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In a strange irony, the video's outcome serves as an allegory for the fake news paradigm spotlighted by the cultural industries at the time.
Drawing on a range of perspectives from art, cultural theory, and media studies, 13 Whispers is a subjectively serendipitous exploration of the complex relationships between language, memory, and social categories in the contemporary world.
The theme focuses on categorization within socio-political contexts and the outcome speaks to the ways in which labels and categories can be used to marginalize and exclude individuals.
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13 Whispers is a compelling and thought-provoking observation in to the contemporary cultural landscape, offering a nuanced and multifaceted view of the complexities of language and memory in modern society.