Kjærlighets Historier (2003)
vinyl wall text, café tables, café chairs, audio

Kjærlighets Historier was an installation for the first gallery of the Trondhjems Kunstforening. The audio document is a recording of a Swedish man that I asked to read for me. I gave him a text, and I directed his reading by adding intonation marks to the text. He attempts to read the words that I want to hear and to say them with the inflection that I desire; however, he is not familiar with the text and many of the words are foreign to him. Intonation marks are used by second language learners to help them mimic a native speaker's sense of stress and tune; they direct a student's vocalizations so that they might speak fluently. I attempt to force someone who uses English as a second language to discuss emotional issues within the confines of theoretical discourse. I insist on the importance of words properly spoken, and my directives as to the stress and melody of his reading make any attempt on his part to speak coherently inadequate. The reader ultimately does not thoroughly understand his own words, much less intend any meaning that results from his reading of the text. The audio plays quietly in the gallery at approximately conversational level; when the viewer is in the gallery they may choose to listen to the audio or ignore it. The walls of the gallery contained excerpts from the reading along with the intonation marks that I had added. Café tables and chairs were set up in the gallery and patrons of the Kunstforening's popular café were able to bring their food and drink inside.