Erica Scourti's work has appeared frequently in regards to the themes of the perception of language and appropriation of existing text. Her use of technology and social media as a form of appropriation of internet data enables her to build up profiles of herself using written and spoken word in video and performance works, such as “Think You Know Me”.
"Secondary Sources" was on show at the Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridge after Scourti's residency there in 2015. The piece expands on her existing work. Here, she has used readings from her sketchbooks to create video works. Once again she uses her phone to generate the strobe imagery using an app, the colour changes as the app recognises the presence of sound - in this case her voice. Scourti has then used an automated feature on Youtube to generate subtitles. She then re-reads these subtitles to create the final work. The video is screened on a flat-screen monitor that rests on all of the sketchbooks and notebooks where the readings were taken from, spanning from 2003-2015. The viewer/listener may not realise that the readings don't make strict sense until they have been with the work long enough to pay attention to what is actually being said, although seeing as the readings were originally of notes from a sketchbook they might not all make sense anyway.
There are a number of similar videos that have been posted online. Titled under the dates from the notebooks used, each video has the same strobe effect that works alongside Scourti's voice. The subtitles however are only visible if they are manually selected - not obvious unless you already know the nature of the work. In some of the works such as "2012" Scourti has added subtitles of her own. At times they appear to follow what she is saying, but throughout the video they divert off-topic and narrate a story completely irrelevant to the subject of Scourti's readings. The subtitles switch between the two states of translation- the reader/listener is presented with two conflicting accounts which you must choose between to focus on as you watch/listen.
All of these works have related well to my practice, especially when I have been using words already written in my journals to create work. This body of work has also opened up the possibility of looking further into the potential uses of technology as a way of moving data across a number of platforms in addition to being used as a tool for translation and consolidation of data in written and visual forms.
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AuthorThird Year BA Hons Fine Art student studying at Falmouth University Archives
April 2017
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